Rep. Brandon to hold townhalls on Recently Passed "2nd Chance Act"

Rep. Brandon and Rep. Faircloth will hold town hall meetings in High Point and Greensboro to make the interested public aware of the new bill. Rep. Brandon said "this was probably the most important bill that we passed in the NC Legislature. This will affect so many people's lives and give them some hope. I was proud to hold the first ever 2nd Chance rally in the general assembly to support this bill, and was proud of my colleagues and Governor for hearing the stories of the ex-felons and voting to enact this bill into law"

The events will take place in in High Point on Tuesday Jan. 24th at Morehead Recreation Center and in Greensboro at the Interactive Resource Center on Wed. Feb 29th and  Both events will take place at 6pm -7:30pm and refreshments will be served. Brandon also said there will be several attorneys on hand to talk to constitutients on their particular situaiton and instructions on how to file a petiton to the court.

If you have more questions feel free to contact the Raleigh Office at 919-733-5825

For more informaton about the bill see below

An individual who is convicted of no more than two Class G, H, or I felonies or misdemeanors in one session of court, and who has no other convictions for a felony or misdemeanor other than a traffic violation, may petition the court where the individual was convicted for a certificate of relief. The ceriticate of relief will seal the felonious records of the individual (not eradicate)

The petition shall be heard by:

  • The senior resident superior court judge if the convictions were in superior court, or
  • The chief district court judge if the convictions were in district court.

The court may issue a certificate of relief if after review it finds that:

  • Twelve months have passed since the individual has completed his or her sentence.
    • The individual is engaged in, or seeking to engage in, a lawful occupation or activity, including employment, training, education, or rehabilitative programs, or the individual otherwise has a lawful source of support.
    • The individual has complied with all requirements of the individual's sentence, including any terms of probation, that may include substance abuse treatment, anger management, and educational requirements. 
    • The individual is not in violation of the terms of any criminal sentence, or that any failure to comply is justified, excused, involuntary, or insubstantial.
    • A criminal charge is not pending against the individual.
    • Granting the petition would not pose an unreasonable risk to the safety or welfare of the public or any individual.

 

A certificate of relief will assist individuals convicted of less serious crimes deal with collateral sanctions and disqualifications that result from a criminal conviction, however, a certificate of relief:

  • Does not result in the expunction of any criminal history record information, nor does it constitute a pardon.
  • May be revoked if the individual is subsequently convicted of a felony or misdemeanor other than a traffic violation or is found to have made any material misrepresentation is his or her petition.