BANGOR — Pine Tree Legal Assistance will hold a free public information session and legal clinic at the Bangor District Court on July 9 to support low-income people navigating two different issues: criminal record sealing and legal name change. 

 

The information session and legal clinic for both of these issues will run Thursday, July 9, from 1 - 3 p.m., in the Jury Room of the Bangor District Court. 

 

"A criminal record can prevent a low-income person from accessing basic human needs such as housing and employment, and can perpetuate cycles of poverty," said Pine Tree Legal, in a news release.

 

To help reduce these barriers to safety and stability, Maine established its first criminal record sealing law in 2021. According to Pine Tree, this allows certain eligible convictions to become sealed, meaning that they no longer appear in background checks conducted by potential employers, lenders, school admissions officers, and others. The records do remain accessible to certain groups, including criminal justice agencies and members of the court. 

 

Very few record sealing cases have been filed in Maine since this law went into effect in 2021, according to the news release.

 

Pine Tree Legal hopes to help community members understand this law and the eligibility requirements for different types of convictions.

 

The process to legally change one's name and/or gender markers can also be difficult to navigate, and can be cost-prohibitive for low-income people, said Pine Tree. Pine Tree Legal hopes to help make this process more accessible. 

 

"Our goal is to reduce barriers and help low-income people access their basic human rights and needs," says Daniel Monahan, a managing attorney at Pine Tree Legal.  

 

 

For those who are not able to attend but would like more information on these issues, call 207-942-0972.