TRAVIS COUNTY, TX – Today, Travis County District Attorney José Garza, Travis County Attorney
Delia Garza, Travis County District Clerk Velva Price, and Austin City Council Member José
Velásquez announced that their offices will host another Expunction Expo to help residents clear their
criminal records on Saturday, May 20, 2023.
Residents who successfully complete the expunction process will improve their access to jobs, financial
assistance for higher education, and housing. Since 2020, Travis County officials have helped 455
residents to clear 882 criminal charges.
We are anticipating being able to serve over 250 applicants at this year’s expo.
The online portal to apply for the Expunction Expo is open for individuals with prior arrests that occurred in
Travis County. These cases may include instances in which someone was never charged or indicted or, in some
cases, if a criminal charge was dismissed or a person was acquitted, pardoned, or completed a diversion
program. Their cases may still appear on a person’s criminal background check without an expunction.
Members of the public may gather information and apply until Friday, April 7, 2023, using the following links.
English: https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-clerk/expunction-expo
Español: https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-clerk/expunction-expo-spn
Applicants with questions may send an email to [email protected]
Applicants that may qualify for an expunction include:
- You were arrested in Travis County, but a charge was never filed or was no billed by the grand jury
- You have a criminal charge that a judge dismissed
- You successfully completed a Diversion Program, such as Pretrial Diversion, Drug Court, etc.
- You were acquitted on your charge by a judge or jury (usually by a finding of "Not Guilty"), or
appellate court, or - You were convicted of a crime but later pardoned by the Governor of Texas or the President of the
United States.
Applicants who do not qualify for an expunction include:
- Your case is still pending;
- You were convicted in the case you want to be expunged or erased even if you just paid a fine
(convictions on other cases do not prevent expunction). - You were placed on probation, community supervision, or deferred adjudication for any felony or Class
A or B misdemeanor you want to be expunged, even if your case was later dismissed (Class C deferred
prosecution is the only exception).
Participants who prequalify will be paired with volunteer attorneys from the Travis County Law Library, Capital
Area Private Defender Service, Travis County Public Defender’s Office, and Volunteer Legal Services to help
them file the necessary paperwork to clear their criminal records.
Participants will also have the option to receive free job researching services and resources from the worldwide
employment company Indeed. Staff from the company will be at the expo to help create an Indeed account, draft
a resume, and provide job search tips. Learn more here: http://indeed.com/fairchance [indeed.com]
“Participants who received help at last year’s expunction expos now have more opportunities for good jobs,
access to higher education & better housing, and that makes all of us more safe,” said Travis County District
Attorney José Garza. “We are grateful to our partners for working together again to help our community
members get the chance to live a fuller and more productive life.”
“The expo is a time when people take a positive step from a negative experience,” said Travis County District
Clerk Velva L. Price. “We look forward to assisting more people on this path.”
“Many who qualify to have an arrest expunged from their record often don’t know they have this right and often
lack the resources to initiate the process,” Travis County Attorney Delia Garza. “We have built a strong
coalition of partners and resources to make this process as simple and as accessible as possible for Travis
County residents.”
”Whether someone was arrested without charges being filed or was acquitted of a charge by a judge, these folks
are deserving of a fresh start and equal opportunity to the basic necessities of life, that are a secure job, housing,
and education,” said Austin City Council Member José Velásquez. “In the midst of a housing crisis in our city,
we should be reducing as many barriers to housing as possible, and I am proud to stand in support of these
efforts through this year's Expunction Expo.”
"ACC is proud to partner with Travis County on this important event,” said Austin Community College’s
Community & Public Affairs Vice Chancellor, Dr. Chris Cervini. “The college will have enrollment personnel
on hand to answer participants' questions about educational and workforce-training opportunities to help them
get the skills they need to have rewarding careers and build wealth for themselves and their families."
"At Indeed, our mission is to help people get jobs. We know that talent is universal, but access to opportunity is
not,” said Indeed’s Senior Director of Global Social Impact, Parisa Fatehi-Weeks. “Job seekers who have been
involved with the criminal legal system can, unfortunately, face barriers to getting hired. Indeed supports record
clearing and fair chance hiring. We want to help because we know that it will not only help job seekers find
good jobs, but it will help employers find great candidates too.”
The fourth Travis County Expunction Expo is a collaboration between Travis County District Attorney José
Garza, Travis County Attorney Delia Garza, Travis County District Clerk Velva L. Price, and Austin City
Council Member José Miguel Anwar Velásquez, with support from Austin Community College and Indeed.
Please click PR Expunction Expo to the PDF version.
