Free Legal Clinic in Tuscaloosa Clears Warrants For Nearly 100

A group of high-performing students at the University of Alabama helped almost 100 people deal with outstanding warrants last weekend and avoid landing in the county jail.

UA's Blackburn Institute for developing young leaders and improving Alabama held its first-ever Warrant Clinic last Saturday, aiming to put a dent in the more than 15,000 outstanding arrest warrants currently pending in Tuscaloosa County.

Many of those are for non-serious, nonviolent offenses, like failing to appear in court, and Blackburn students were seeking to help people return to society by clearing those warrants so they wouldn’t have to worry about being arrested by the police every time they left the house.

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The clinic provided free legal assistance and support services to anyone who was wanted on an outstanding warrant, and a rep for the student group said they served 98 people, more than 60 of whom were walk-ins.

There were judges and magistrates on site, and the student volunteers helped defendants by removing barricades and clearing their records

"The clinic was strategically located near public transportation, and outreach efforts included canvassing at local businesses, recovery centers, and shelters, as well as coordinated media coverage and billboard placements throughout Tuscaloosa," wrote co-organizer Jai Ivy Raines. "To further support participation, the event provided on-site childcare and food, ensuring that logistical challenges did not prevent individuals from receiving assistance."

In addition to clearing the almost 100 arrest warrants, the clinic registered eight people to vote and got four more on the path to vote again once they clear legal fines and fees.

Rains said Tuscaloosa provided plainclothes police officers to ensure a safe environment and also had a social worker on site to assist with additional needs.

She said the clinic, though successful, also highlighted ongoing barriers, like transportation disruptions caused by other events in town last Saturday and demand exceeding capacity.

“This clinic demonstrated both the urgency of the issue and the impact of meeting people where they are,” said Raines. “While we are proud of what was accomplished, it also made clear that this work must continue.”

She said she and other organizers, Destiney Crawford, Woods Hobbs, Madeline Martin, and JB Foster, hope their first clinic will be the first of many.

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