In 2015, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana implemented the Legal Expungement Advice Program (LEAP) in response to the challenges that people faced with Indiana’s expungement law. Through a partnership with Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, LEAP provides those affiliated with Goodwill and their immediate families free expungement consultation services.

“When you’re able to get your record expunged, you can overcome the bias that may stand in the way of stable housing or employment,” said Benjamin Hutto, a Goodwill Mission Coach who oversees the expungement clinic. “For some people, there are specific career fields that they cannot enter at all because of a conviction that they have had in the past.”

Besides barrier removal, expungement can also just give peace of mind, allowing people who have past experiences with the criminal justice system to move on. For Edward Rickenbach, the director of Goodwill’s coaching and employee support initiatives, he was able to achieve a new lease on life through LEAP.

Before joining Goodwill, Edward struggled with his mental health and found himself experiencing homelessness and resorting to criminal activity to meet life’s basic needs. This led to several encounters with the criminal justice system and a record that prevented him from finding employment and housing.

After working in Goodwill’s retail stores for several years and becoming a Goodwill Mission Coach, Edward heard about LEAP from a colleague who encouraged him to see if he was eligible for expungement. The process has not only affected his ability to provide for his family, but also his confidence.

“Expungement gave me so much momentum in life to be able to be a self-sustaining individual,” said Edward. “It gave me momentum to find housing, to buy food, to have a higher level of self worth where I could be able to give back to my family and others in the community.” 

Now, Edward leads a team of Goodwill Mission Coaches, who help employees and students access resources, as well as identify and set goals for their short-and-long-term futures. He enjoys focusing on leveling the playing field for those with disadvantages and witnessing the tremendous change in people’s lives because of their efforts. He recommends seeking expungement for its ability to remove barriers and uphold one’s self-esteem.

“The biggest effect that expungement will have on people’s lives is removing the barriers that society has put in place that prevent them from having momentum in life and returns control over their life’s path and power to gain economic self-sufficiency,” said Edward.

As someone who leads the program currently, Benjamin has not only seen the effects of expungement, but also values the information that IU McKinney provides. Even if expungement isn’t possible at the time of the consultation, people can plan long-term for the milestones they need to achieve it.

In the past 10 years, LEAP has expunged over 100 records. Offering LEAP does more than reaffirm Goodwill’s position as a second-chance employer; it also ensures that people can secure employment and opportunities outside of Goodwill.

“We’ve been able to maintain a wonderful stability in LEAP,” said Ben. “We’ve been doing this for 10 years now and it’s because we have more than just Goodwill caring about helping people.”