- Target:
- Colorado Springs Municipal Court
- Region:
- United States of America
This petition is to seal my record from public view. I signed a plea bargain waving that right, and am not against it. However, the deferred sentence has been dismissed but I continue to get denied employment of any kind.
I have applied for basic jobs like stocking shelves and picking up trash, but because I have to disclose it on my application I don't even get a call back from most employers. Even if I passed their drug test I'll get a letter in the mail stating that due to the background check I cannot work there.
My ability to survive and support myself and children outweigh the public's right to know. Since it wasn't a crime that makes me a threat to society and I have no other charges of any type on my record, I feel I would be a good candidate to have my record sealed.
I’m writing this petition because I signed a plea agreement waiving my right to seal. I signed that document with full knowledge that I would have this on my record and the public would be able to view it. I was charged with altering a prescription which shows up on my background check as fraud/deceit and attempt to obtain a controlled substance. I knew I would have to live with the shame that I have brought on myself and my family.
And even if my case gets sealed, it will always be there. What I did not know is that it would be impossible for me to move forward with my life financially. I have recovered from extreme depression, I have no prior charges of any kind nor have I had any since the plea bargain. I knew I would face rejection and be discriminated against and with good reason. I believed that when I finished my deferred sentence and the case was dismissed that I could finally move on.
But unfortunately I have not been able to do so. I have applied for basic jobs such as stocking shelves, answering phones, filing papers and picking up trash. And even though I’ve passed their drug test and my case has been dismissed, I have been unable to find work of any kind. I am a mother and a decent human being, I have made mistakes and have done everything I know how to correct them. This petition is for my right to seal, because the need to support myself and my children outweigh the public’s right to know. I am not a threat to society in any way shape or form, and even if my case does get sealed to the public the courts will always have access to it.
And with that I ask for help from you and the courts to grant me this once in a life time chance to seal my record for the health of my family as well as myself.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Right to Seal Criminal Record petition to Colorado Springs Municipal Court was written by Pamela Brown and is in the category Civil Rights at GoPetition.