Below is a student perspective on working with one of the Criminal Justice Projects new programs, the CORI Initiative Project. This project allows student volunteers from all class years to gain experience in client interaction and drafting affidavits:
The CORI Initiative Project (CIP) in the Center for Law and Social Responsibility is a valuable resource for indigent citizens with criminal records and a great opportunity for students at NEL|B to gain legal writing and client communication skills.
Offenses ranging from a minor misdemeanor charge all the way to a felony conviction will appear and remain on one's criminal record in Massachusetts (CORI) indefinitely if no action is taken. The presence of these charges and convictions are often prohibitive to citizens when they are applying for jobs, housing, and volunteer opportunities. The process that helps to alleviate this hindrance is 'sealing a CORI.' At the CIP, client intake forms come into the office which have been screened for income eligibility and are accompanied by a CORI. Students communicate with clients to formulate affidavits that will submitted with their petitions to seal. The affidavits give the clients a chance to show the court the impact an unsealed CORI has on their lives and put a human face to a technical record. Under CORI law, a charge that ended in a dismissal, a not guilty finding, a 'no probable cause' finding, or 'nol pros' can be sealed immediately and these are the situations where the affidavits are important.
The CORI laws have recently changed and one of the important impacts it has had is allowing more recent convictions to be sealed. Where the previous law required a felony conviction to be 15 years past and a misdemeanor conviction to be 10 years past, the waiting periods are now 10 and 5 years respectively. Students with the CIP are submitting comments on proposed regulations that incorporate the changes in the law.
Students find the work at CIP rewarding; they know their contributions go directly to aid indigent clients. Through the CIP, clients have the opportunity to a get a new lease on life.