“We’re building a platform for people who want to do better and be better than their past suggests. Criminal record clearing allows those who have completed their sentences and paid their debt, to move on as fully productive members of society without the stigma and shame of the past.”
LETTER FROM THE CEO
“Currently in California and throughout the United States, when a person is arrested, is placed on probation, goes to jail, to prison or is
sentenced for a crime, even if the punishment is a fine, that event and the related crime remains on the person’s searchable record for
the REST OF THEIR LIVES, even if they were not prosecuted.
For over a decade, I have worked with law firms around the state including the Bay Area, Los Angeles County, Orange County and
Ventura County, to meticulously and slowly clear the most complex of these records, one at a time. It’s been hundreds of cases, from
shoplifting to murder. As a criminal defense attorney, I am a cog in the criminal justice system, an officer of the court, and can say with
certainty that for most crimes, we never meant to punish people for life.
Even non-serious matters affect a person’s ability to work, to get housing, to volunteer, to travel and to immigrate, and can mean that
they forfeit their constitutional rights, including their right to vote.
And, even though this person has paid their debt to society through jail time or probation, fines or a promise to stay out of trouble, that
crime remains on their record as a scarlet letter.”
— Natashia Deon
On behalf of those who have criminal pasts and have completed their sentences, REDEEMED is a non-religious, California non-profit bringing lawyers and professional writers together to complete legal petitions asking courts for legal relief including criminal record clearing, expungements, and Certificates of Rehabilitation which can lead to pardons.
Successful petitions can help individuals move beyond the shame and stigma of their pasts, can help them to qualify for jobs, to immigrate, to travel, to get housing, and win their constitutional rights back, including voting rights.*
Professional writers will assist with the affidavits and personal statements that are often part of petitions, helping applicants to pen understandable and straightforward statements that convey a person’s life story after conviction. Other services include help with low-cost, professional, record clearing options, as well as self-help clinics to be held in art spaces including museums and galleries—non-confrontational and non traditional office spaces that are equally committed to the restoration and preservation of life.