Opal offered to come with me.

She brought a notebook though I knew she had no intention of taking notes.

There were about twenty people in folding chairs.

Some were newly home from prison.

Others were family members, employers, or volunteers.

A woman in the second row held a folder so tightly that the corners bent against her fingers.

I told them I could not promise every case would be reopened or every employer would overlook a record.

I could tell them how to make an organized timeline, preserve correspondence, request available records, and find qualified legal support when the problem was beyond their ability to solve alone.