August 17, 2014

Minister: Arrest Records a Barrier After Rights Restored
Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Rev.Hasan K. Zarif shows off new suits Goodwill Industries can provide his clients to help them make good impressions when job hunting. As Goodwill’s reentry coordinator,he primarily works with and advocates for released felons who are trying to rebuild their lives. PHOTO: Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com)-The Rev. Eddie Via almost cried when his voting card came in the mail. After living with a felony record for more than 20 years that banned him from the polls, the Henrico County minister is looking forward to casting his ballot in the upcoming election in November.

He’s among the 2,500 people whose rights Gov. Terry McAuliffe has restored so far — a record for the first six months of a state chief executive’s term. Now married and rebuilding his life, Rev. Via also is studying for a Liberty University degree in Christian counseling and has started his own ministry, Mountain of Faith, in his home. But despite the restoration of rights, Rev. Via acknowledges that he would face a high hurdle if he had to show his criminal history to an employer.

The problem: The governor’s action did not clear his arrest record, which includes numerous arrests that were later dismissed in court or not prosecuted.That’s a problem that hits home for tens of thousands who have had brushes with the law, according to the Rev. Hasan K. Zarif of Richmond, a coordinator for Goodwill Industries of Central Virginia who helps felonsre-enter society and regain their rights.“If you go to court on a traffic violation,and it’s dismissed, the violation is removedfrom your record and you don’t get charged afee,” said Rev. Zarif. “When you’re arrested,that arrest stays on your record unless you can hire a lawyer and pay a fee to a court to get it expunged. That’s not right.”

Also special projects coordinator for Chaplain Services and Prison Ministry Inc. and founder leader of God’s Intervention Ministry, Rev. Zarif cites the situation of a man who was arrested for capital murder of a police officer, but ended up pleading guilty to drunk in public. “If he had to show his record to an employer,what chance would he have,” said the minister,also founder and leader of God’s InterventionMinistry.So while Rev. Zarif is full of praise for Gov.McAuliffe for the swift pace of restoring rights,he said something needs to be done to removedaunting barriers felons face in gaining a job. And that should include automatic removal of arrests that do not result in a conviction, he said. A former convict himself, Rev. Zarif has helped untold thousands of men and women get ready for work, including, with Goodwill’s help, providing suits and other clothing for interviews.

The people he serves, he said, end up competing with people with clean records. “If we want to help people re-integrate into society,”he said, “we have to ensure they have a fair chance.”