Pima County is offering a free one-day Pathway to Progress legal clinic aimed at helping residents resolve post-conviction issues, including restoring civil rights, setting aside judgments and sealing eligible criminal records.

The clinic on Nov. 6 is a collaboration between the Pima County Public Defense Services, Pima County Superior Court and the Pima County Attorney’s Office.

Sarah Kostick, Pima county’s chief assistant public defender and a part-time professor at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law, said the program grew from years of work helping residents reenter society after incarceration.

“For years, our office participated in a community-based rights restoration and reentry program called Fresh Start,” Kostick said. “We were doing great work, but holding events on weekends created challenges with infrastructure and accessibility.”

Kostick said the team realized they could reach more people by hosting the clinics in-house and during the week.
“We determined we could be more effective if we ran the program on a weekday, where people could meet with attorneys, prepare paperwork and then head straight to the courthouse for a hearing,” she said. “It allowed us to better meet the needs of the felony population, which faces different barriers than misdemeanor cases.”

According to Dean Brault, the county’s director of public defense services, this will be the second iteration of the program, which has been developed to make post-conviction relief more accessible.

“We’ve had a long history of trying to have clinics to help clients with post-conviction issues,” Brault said. “The Pathway to Progress program is a collaboration between defense services, the court and the county attorney’s office to screen cases and, when possible, hold hearings the same day.”

Kostick said the April pilot of the Pathway to Progress program showed immediate benefits.

“Because participants could pre-screen, we knew ahead of time what services they were eligible for,” she said. “It reduced frustration and allowed us to process cases more efficiently. People left with real answers and a clear idea of next steps even if they didn’t yet qualify for certain relief.”

A dedicated judge will be available during the clinic to issue rulings in eligible cases, allowing some participants to receive decisions immediately.

The clinic focuses on felony cases that originated in Pima County Superior Court. Services offered include restoring civil or firearm rights, setting aside judgments of guilt, addressing probation violations, converting undesignated offenses to misdemeanors, expunging certain marijuana-related convictions and filing petitions to seal eligible criminal records.

“These are cases where people have completed their probation or paid off their fines and fees,” Brault explained. “It’s an opportunity for them to move forward and remove barriers that might be holding them back.”

While the program provides significant legal support in preparing petitions, participants will represent themselves in court.

“Clients who pre-screen are prioritized and paired with an attorney to review their case and prepare paperwork,” Kostick explained. “If they qualify for a hearing, they’re escorted from our offices across the street to the courthouse, where a judge hears their case the same day.”

Kostick said the program’s goal is to offer “personalized service from start to finish” to help clients navigate the system.

To attend, Brault encourages community members to pre-register through the Pima County website (pima-public-defense-services.app.transform.civicplus.com/forms/57627). Pre-screening, he said, is key to determining eligibility in advance.

“If people fill out the screening form, I can review their cases and let them know ahead of time if they qualify,” Brault said. “That way, they don’t waste their time coming down if they’re not eligible for the relief they’re seeking.”

For residents unable to attend the Nov. 6 clinic, the county’s regular legal clinic offers the same services year-round. Information can be found at pima-public-defense-services.app.transform.civicplus.com/forms/53564.

“Just because someone can’t make it that day doesn’t mean they should give up,” Brault said. “We have resources available all the time.”

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.