Know Your Rights Webinar Series

Know Your Rights, Remedies, and Resources Webinar Series

We believe it is important for people engaged with and impacted by the justice system to know their rights. That is why Safer Foundation, in partnership with the Women’s Justice Institute (WJI) and New Leaf Illinois, is conducting a series of webinars to help people who are incarcerated and people with arrest and conviction records know their rights, know their remedies and also help connect them

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Know Your Rights, Remedies, & Resources Webinar Topics

Webinar Topics

Civic Engagement and Criminal Records Relief (i.e. Sealing and Expungement)

This session will teach you about a broad range of forms of criminal records relief such as sealing and expungement (including automatic expungement thanks to the state’s new adult use cannabis law), certificates of good conduct, healthcare worker waivers, and clemency. Voting protections and the US Census will also be covered.

Employment, Occupational Licensing, and Education

This webinar will cover local, state and federal legal protections that exist for people with arrest and conviction records in their search for employment. It will also provide useful information that will help guide you through the occupational licensing application process in Illinois (more than 25% of all occupations now require an occupational license). And finally, this session will provide clarity about a person’s ability to access federal financial aid and higher education.

Housing and Driver’s Licenses

This session will cover the numerous housing protections that people with arrest and conviction records have at every level of government – federal, state and local. You will also learn about the protections that exist for people seeking housing in the federally subsidized [public] housing market and in the private housing market. This session will also talk about new laws designed to help people retain their driver’s licenses even if they acquire fines and fees.

The Impact of Parental Incarceration

This session will cover statistics surrounding mass incarceration, the importance of parent-child connections, and options for child visitation when a parent is incarcerated. In addition, it will review the process for requesting permission to visit a loved one in prison when you have a past felony conviction or pending criminal case. And this session will cover the different types of guardianship in Illinois, including short-term, court-ordered, and stand-by guardianship. We will discuss how to establish and discharge guardianships. We will review the paperwork necessary to bring a child to visit a parent in prison. We will learn about the rights of homeless children, including children whose parents are incarcerated. Finally, we will discuss how guardianship can be useful when a parent faces immigration or warrant issues.

Child Placement Options

This session will cover topics like divorce, child custody, and visitation. For example, did you know that child custody is now called allocation of parental responsibilities in Illinois? We will examine how people who are incarcerated can file petitions and what options are available. We will also review how a criminal record can be used in cases for visitation or parenting time. This session will also discuss the Department of Children and Family Services and the child welfare system. Participants will learn the timeline of child welfare cases and what various terms mean. We will also discuss how parents can appeal indicated reports. We will spend time discussing how parental rights can be terminated, particularly how criminal records can be used against parents in these cases. Finally, we will examine how criminal records impact the ability to foster children.

The Child Welfare System

This session will discuss the Department of Children and Family Services and the child welfare system. Participants will learn the timeline of child welfare cases and what various terms mean. We will also discuss how parents can appeal indicated reports. We will spend time discussing how parental rights can be terminated, particularly how criminal records can be used against parents in these cases. Finally, we will examine how criminal records impact the ability to foster children.

Know Your Rights, Remedies, and Resources Webinar Series

Learn About Our Webinar Topics

Webinar Topics

Registration

January, 2026 Webinars