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Chantel C. Lassiter

Counsel, Justice System Reform
chantelclassiter@scsj.org

Chantel Cherry-Lassiter serves as counsel on the Justice System Reform team at SCSJ. She grew up in rural Northeastern North Carolina. She earned her M.P.A from Strayer University and her B.S. in Criminal Justice from Elizabeth City State University. Prior to attending law school, she worked for Elizabeth City State University in the Accounting Department. However, most of her ten-year career with the State of North Carolina was spent as a Child Support Enforcement Agent. She earned her J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she also earned a Certification in Civil Rights and Constitutional Law. While attending NCCU Law she was President of the Civil Rights and Constitutional Law Society, President of Teens N Transition, and served as a Guardian ad Litem for Durham County.

During law school, she participated in over 700 hours of pro bono legal work. In 2018, she was awarded the Durham County Bar Association’s Adam Lischer Scholarship for her commitment to serving Durham’s underserved population. Chantel was also awarded North Carolina Central University’s Student Service Impact Award. She received a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of dedicated public service from the North Carolina State Bar Association. She was also honored to receive the H.M. Michaux Award for Public Service. 

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Partnering with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the south to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications.

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Southern Coalition for Social Justice Launches New Toolkit to Help Navigate Expungement Process

October 21, 2020 by Allison Riggs Focus Area: Criminal Justice, Justice System Reform

Cover Photo Credit: Rodrigo Dorfman
View and Download Umar Muhammad Clean Slate Toolkit

For media inquiries:
Michelle Rash
mrash@rlfcommunications.com
336-553-1733 (office)
336-823-5501 (mobile)

Durham, N.C. — The Southern Coalition for Social Justice has launched a new effort focused on helping individuals with criminal records better navigate the process to have their records expunged. At the center of this outreach is the Umar Muhammad Clean Slate Toolkit, a free resource providing a step-by-step guide to the expunction process. With a typical criminal record expungement costing between $1,500 and $2,000 in court costs and attorney’s fees, the toolkit is designed to help individuals navigate the process independently, making expunctions easier to obtain for people of color and economically underserved populations. In the coming weeks, a video tutorial and webinars on the process will also be made available.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s new outreach around the expunction process comes in advance of changes to related North Carolina’s laws, which take effect Dec. 1. The toolkit is named after Umar Muhammad, a former community organizer with Southern Coalition for Social Justice who organized numerous Clean Slate Clinics across North Carolina.

Since 2012, more than 60,000 North Carolinians were forced to navigate the expungement process despite the fact that their charges did not result in a conviction. More than 90% of employers require criminal background checks, and a job applicant with a criminal record is 50% less likely to receive an interview, making it hard for individuals to find employment. Additionally, more than 1,000 state laws and regulations potentially deny North Carolinians with a criminal record a variety of privileges and rights.

“People with criminal records have significantly fewer options for employment and housing as well as limited opportunities to secure a better life for themselves. And, as with so many things in our society, people of color or who are already economically vulnerable are disproportionately impacted,” said Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, Counsel for Justice System Reform with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “Our hope is this toolkit, and the other resources we are creating, will provide valuable support and solutions to underserved groups of people at this critical time.”

The Umar Muhammad Clean Slate Toolkit also includes recommendations on how North Carolina’s expungement process could be made more accessible to people of color and economically vulnerable communities. The recommendations include:

  • Expanding the list of charges that can be expunged to include all misdemeanors
  • Providing at least one expungement advocate to assist in the process in each county court
  • Speeding up the process so it no longer takes between 6 to 12 months, allowing people to obtain employment faster
  • Eliminating the $175 expungement processing fee and waiving the requirement that all other fines and fees must be paid before an expunction is sought.

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The Southern Coalition for Social Justice

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Twitter and Facebook.

Umar Muhammad Clean Slate T… by Youth Justice Project

Key Contact

Chantel C. Lassiter, Counsel, Justice System Reform
chantelclassiter@scsj.org

Category iconRecent News Tag iconClean Slate,  Justice System Reform,  Umar Muhammad

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