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Students interested in community service founded the Second Chance Re-Entry Assistance Program, or S.C.R.A.P, during the 2017-2018 academic year at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. The group received the Best New Student Organization of the Year award for 2017 at the law school’s annual Student Organization Awards on April 11. In the photo at left is student volunteer Mariah McGhee and Professor Carrie Hagan at the April 7 re-entry resource fair.

“We work with previously incarcerated individuals on a regular basis and see the struggles that they endure,” said S.C.R.A.P. president Janeia Brounson. “We also see the lack of support from the legal community and we wanted to bridge that gap. We wanted to introduce students to these burdens and come together to think of ways to educate others and help previously incarcerated individuals.”

In addition to Brounson, S.C.R.A.P. is led by vice president Matt Rodgers, treasurer Kyle Montrose, and secretary Kyle Chambers. Other members include Jessica Harris, Zach Mahone, Robert Weyreter, Matthew Lawson, Brandon Danks, Gaby Olshemski, and Michael Wilson. In the photo at left, from left, are Kyle Chambers, Kyle Montrose, Matt Rodgers, and Janeia Brounson.

The group hosted a highly successful job and resource fair for previously incarcerated individuals on April 7. The event took place at Light of the World Christian Church, and was attended by over 1,000 people, Brounson said. There were over 20 employers who took part in the event, and 95 IU McKinney students volunteered. In the photo at left, from left, are Professor Carrie Hagan; Doris Pryor, National Security Unit Chief for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana; and Professor Lahny Silva.

Professor Lahny Silva oversaw the resource portion of the fair which helped over 400 of the attendees with potential obstacles to employment, ranging from help getting a driver’s license or creating a resume, to finding safe and affordable housing or food assistance.  Representatives from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Family and the Social Services Administration (for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – food stamps), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indianapolis Housing Agency were on hand as well.

Among the services offered at the resource fair was a room entirely devoted to providing free advice and service for those seeking information on their eligibility for expungements.  People attending the fair were able to meet one-on-one with a trained law student and a pro bono lawyer about their criminal history and any barriers to expungement that could be identified. The expungement room was under the supervision and direction of Professor Carrie Hagan, and was staffed by several attorney volunteers from the law firm of Faegre, Baker & Daniels.  Faegre volunteers were attorneys and pro bono staff, including Bailey Bloss, Kayla Britton, Victoria Calhoon, David Given, Monica Fennell, Carl Pebworth, and Steve Ramey.  Professor Hagan said, “There were over 30 law student volunteers just in the expungement room, each of which had been trained by the Civil Practice Clinic, and all of whom were able to receive substantive law training and gain valuable interviewing and client interaction skills just by being at the event.  One hundred thirty-three people were given brief advice and service on expungements alone.”  

Expungement is a key part of the entire re-entry process, Hagan said, “While Indiana law allows for a wide range of crimes to be expunged, familiarity with the hurdles and expectations of the law can be confusing without some guidance and direction. A large part of the Civil Practice Clinic’s case work focuses on access to justice issues, notably expungements, and participating in the fair was a natural expansion of our day-to-day efforts.  We were really proud to be a part of the event and feel that we made a difference, even in just being able to orient folks to where they stand under the law at this point in time.”

S.C.R.A.P.’s first service project took place during the Fall semester when students spent the day cleaning at the Partners in Housing buildings on North Pennsylvania Street in downtown Indianapolis. Partners in Housing rescues and rehabilitates properties that house the formerly homeless, and low-income residents, and provides housing to the formerly incarcerated. The group also hosted a canned food and toiletry drive, February 20 through March 3, 2017. The collected items were donated to previously incarcerated individuals and their families.

This was the second year for the job and resource fair, which was initially undertaken in 2016 by the Black Law Students Association. S.C.R.A.P. plans to hold the job and resource fair again next Spring and hopes to host a variety of other events to help previously incarcerated individuals in various ways.

The April 7^th job and resource fair was featured in news coverage:

The Indiana Lawyer: “Indy-area attorneys hosting re-entry job fair” http://www.theindianalawyer.com/indy-area-attorneys-hosting-re-entry-job-fair/PARAMS/article/43339

Channel 13 WTHR: http://www.wthr.com/article/job-fair-to-help-ex-cons-break-the-cycle-of-incarceration

Channel 8 WISH: http://wishtv.com/2014/11/14/indy-job-fair-helps-ex-offenders/