Yousef Kassim, founder and president of Easy Expunctions, a technology company that streamlines the record expunctions (or "expungements," used interchangeably) process for people with eligible past convictions, discusses the need and opportunity to use record expunctions as a Fair Chance employment strategy.
A recent study shows that only 6.5% of those eligible for record expunction actually take advantage of it within the first five years, but for those who do, they average a 22% increase in their wages within a year.
Easy Expunctions is designed to create affordable access to expunctions for the population of people who cannot afford a private lawyer but do not qualify for legal aid. They have become the country's largest expunction services provider, currently operating in Texas, Florida, and Indiana with goals to expand nationwide.
Envoy’s Matt Joyce and Salomon Moreno-Rosa sat down with Yousef Kassim, CEO of Easy Expunctions, to discuss the expunction process and the impact of attaining expunctions for justice-involved job seekers looking to reenter the workforce. Easy Expunctions is an organization that helps people with past convictions remove or seal their records for free. Their mission is to help people who have faced conviction charges improve their employment opportunities, rebuild relationships, and provide a fresh start.
In the interview, Kassim lays out the challenges that his organization addresses and the ways in which Easy Expunction has grown into new states that each have its own set of laws on expunctions and record sealing. Undergirding Easy Expunctions’ growth is their priority to keep the record expunction process simple and streamlined for Fair Chance job seekers.
Easy Expunctions works by connecting people to available resources and providing advice and guidance on how to navigate the expungement process. The organization operates primarily online, offering an assessment tool to help individuals determine eligibility for expunction and an application platform that helps individuals file petitions for expungement. Additionally, Easy Expunctions provides free legal services to those who cannot afford a lawyer, helping to guide the filing process and providing legal advice. More information on Y0usef and Easy Expunctions can be found at their website, EasyExpunctions.com
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1 Prescott, J.J. "Expungement of Criminal Convictions: An Empirical Study." Sonja B. Starr, co-author. Harv. L. Rev. 133, no. 8 (2020): 2460-555.