Collin County District Attorney Launches 2022 Expunction Program

On Thursday, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced a new Expunction 2022 initiative that provides free legal assistance to eligible individuals who want to have their criminal records erased.

The program is backed by the NAACP Collin County branch, the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Collin County Bar Association, Plano Bar Association, and Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. 

"We are thrilled to help people erase their criminal record and clear a path to more opportunity for them," said Willis. "Whether they're seeking employment, education, housing, or military service, this initiative will help qualifying individuals do just that."

The free program is the first of its kind in Collin County and includes 46 volunteer attorneys who will be paired with eligible applicants.

Officials say 60% of all the expunction applicants were found to be eligible and 99% had their charges expunged saving them approximately $1,800 in legal fees per individual.

Prior to the launch, officials were able to help a Plano woman who got a felony charge in 1995 when she was 19-years-old.

Although the charge was dismissed, it stayed on her record, but with the help of a volunteer attorney, she was able to get her filing and court fees waived since she could not afford them.

Major city police chiefs Ed Drain of Plano, Greg Conley of McKinney, David Shilson of Frisco, and Brian Harvey of Allen declared their joint statement of support stating "We strongly support the Collin County District Attorney's Expunction Initiative 2022. Removing unnecessary limitations of a criminal record helps people thrive in our respective communities and strengthens our ability to protect and serve."

Per Texas statute, individuals who have offenses on their criminal record may qualify for an expunction if any of the following apply:

• They were arrested, but a charge was never filed or was no-billed by the grand jury
• They have a criminal charge that was dismissed without any type of community supervision or probation prior to dismissal (except for Class C offenses)
• They have a criminal charge that was dismissed because they successfully completed a formal Pretrial Diversion Program
• They were acquitted on their charge by a judge or jury (usually by a finding of "Not Guilty"), or appellate court; or
• They were convicted of a crime but later pardoned by the Governor of Texas or the President of the United States.

An individual is not eligible for an expunction in Collin County if:

• Their case was not in Collin County
• Their case is still pending
• They were convicted in the case they want to be expunged, even if they just paid a fine (convictions on other cases do not prevent expunction unless they are from the same arrest)
• They were placed on probation, community supervision, or deferred adjudication for any felony or Class A or B misdemeanor they want to be expunged, even if their case was later dismissed (Class C deferred adjudication is the only exception)
• They were convicted or received any kind of probation on another offense arising from the same arrest.

For more information on the program and where to apply, visit www.collincountyda.com/expunction2022/.