On the first Tuesday of every month, people make their way to Conference Rooms B and C at the Ordean Building in downtown Duluth, clutching copies of their criminal record.
They've served their sentences, gone two to five years without any new criminal offenses and in many cases, turned their lives around.
It's not news that people who are poor or disabled of people of color are disproportionately affected by the criminal code. But once you get a criminal record, it's everywhere; standing between you and housing, work, loans, travel, voting - "it affects your life in ways you'd never imagine," says attorney Gwen Updegraff.
So how are folks supposed to get back on their feet?
