Overland Park attorney and Great Bend native Matt Keenan looked back on the suspended driver’s licenses reinstatement and criminal record expungement clinic held Saturday at the Great Bend Senior Center with some satisfaction.
“It was a great day for us and for the people we helped,” said Keenan, who is the executive director of Kansas Legal Services. The KLS partnered with Barton County’s Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) to bring the initiative to Great Bend.
But, “our work isn’t done, and we will be back to help untie some legal problems,” he said. “We had some complicated issues, but there is hope and we will help them find a way.”
There are a lot of people looking for hope surrounded by a lot of despair, he said. “There are some very sad cases and circumstances that primarily had addiction struggles in the center of things. I took on four clients whose cases I will be working on for awhile.”
On Saturday, the clinic served 19 clients, Keenan said. Of those, 11 were white, two black, one Hispanic, two Native American and three bi-racial.
There were 10 women and nine men. They were of all ages with some in their 70s.
“So on Saturday, we saw men and women who deserved to be liberated from dumb choices they made,” Keenan said. “Almost everyone we saw was either working in our community or wanted to work. We had a couple people who wanted to drive again.”
One person walked to the clinic, as he walks everyone in town. Another person rode his bike.
A needed service
The mission of Kansas Legal Services is to help fellow Kansans navigate their way out of legal complexities, he said. “These days cities, counties, states, governments have criminalized all kinds of activities that were never the subject of the courts, or law enforcement. Any parent who has sent a son or daughter to college knows this. Infractions, violations, traffic or otherwise have become a source of revenue for governmental organizations.”
These can often keep these folks from getting a job, either because they have a record or have no means to get to their job.
Studies show that about one in three adults, some 70 million people, have a criminal record, including those who were arrested but not convicted. “If you are wealthy or just doing well, you can arrange for a diversion so it never shows up on your record. If you are not so fortunate, its on your record for decades, maybe your entire life,” he said.
Fortunately, the Kansas legislature, like those in most states, recognized that people deserve the freedom to no longer be burdened with “stupid things they did in the 70s, 80s, and even more recently,” he said. “Our country is about second chances. Politicians get second chances. Why not the little guy?”
That is what this program is all about, he said.
Not a ‘get out of jail free’ card
There are limitations, he said.
“To be sure, the law does not allow us to help those who are still serving the terms of their probation and have not discharged their debt to society. And yes there were a few people in that circumstance,” he said. “But simply explaining to them in simple terms they need to be patient and be compliant with the court’s directive does them good. They have hope that they will be able to return to being a productive member of society with more time.”
But most of the others simply needed to understand they needed to pay outstanding fines, or make an appearance in court and explain to the judge and the county attorney why they missed court dates or hearings, he said. They needed a pathway to get out from their mistakes.
“KLS attorneys can help them with these kinds of things,” he said. “The Legislature has created some opportunities for relief from outstanding fines in certain circumstances. But those circumstances sometimes require an attorney to help them navigate the way forward. That’s what we do.”
About KLS
Kansas Legal Services is a statewide non-profit corporation devoted to helping low-income Kansans meet their basic needs through the provision of important legal and mediation services. KLS is legal aid in Kansas, providing equal access to justice for the most vulnerable Kansans.
In 2022, KLS served more than 18,500 persons in all 105 counties through two mediation offices and 11 legal services offices across the state. Close to Great Bend, they have offices in Salina, Hays, Hutchinson and Dodge City.
In 2022, they directly assisted 130 Barton County residents.
For more information about the program, call Kansas Legal Services at 800-723-6953.
