Survivor Reentry Project

Criminal record relief refers to the legal processes that reduce, seal, expunge, vacate, or otherwise change the impact of a criminal record. Almost all US states now have specific vacatur or expungement laws for survivors of human trafficking whose criminal records are tied to their trafficking experience. You can get more than one kind of relief, and for most survivors the best outcome is both vacatur and expungement.

The different types of relief include:

• Vacatur of Records: The previous judgment of a conviction is nullified. The Survivor can say that they have not been convicted of a crime. The arrest record may still be available to the public.
• Expungement: Legal record of an arrest or a criminal conviction is removed from all public records.
• Sealing: The record (and the conviction or arrest) still exists, but it’s hidden from public view. Law enforcement agencies may still be able to see these records, but employers and landlords should not be able to.

Federal law defines a ‘severe form of trafficking in persons’ as:

Sex Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act which is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

Labor Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Essentially, it is when a person believes that they have no options and must do work someone is telling them to do because they believe that they will suffer some form of abuse if they do not. It happens in almost every type of work and workplace, including agriculture, manufacturing, hair and nail salons, county fairs, home medical care, child care, home and commercial cleaning, sexually oriented businesses, and commercial sex work. Read more about human trafficking here.

Freedom Network USA’s Survivor Reentry Project (SRP) provides criminal record relief to survivors of human trafficking who have records in more than one state. SRP helps survivors get their full record, understand which records are eligible for relief, and works to match survivors with pro bono attorneys who will file their case.

Read the Survivor Outreach flyer.

SRP is seeking partners, including:

Community providers to address survivors’ immediate and ongoing needs. Services include:

• Short and Long Term Housing
• Education Scholarship Opportunities
• Mental Health and Counseling
• Health care
• Employment and Job Skills Training
• Substance Abuse Treatment

Read the SRP Community Partner Outreach flyer.

Pro bono attorneys for representation in Criminal Record Relief to file appropriate motions/petitions for all eligible records in their jurisdiction.

The need is especially acute for lawyers who practice in: AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, LA, MO, MS, NM, NV, OR, TN, TX, and WA.

Read the SRP Potential Pro Bono Partner flyer.

Your request and information will be kept private. You can view our confidentiality agreement here.

Our team will contact you to talk about your situation in private and explain the different ways we might be able to assist you.

The screening and intake process will take approximately 3 to 6 weeks to complete.

Assigning a legal team and clearing records can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or longer depending on where the records are located.

You can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline or search their directory of providers here for many different types of providers including housing, legal, and social services.

You can find the list of Freedom Network USA members here.

You can find nonprofit immigration agencies here.

You can find civil legal aid agencies, which may provide immigration, family law, employment law, and other types of legal services here.