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How a State Rep. from Memphis Got TN Legislators to Ease Up on Past Crimes

A bill that lowered the fees to expunge criminal records might have been seen as soft on crime, or too forgiving of wrongdoers. Instead, state representative Raumesh Akbari, a south Memphis Democrat, was able to get rare bipartisan support for it during this past session of the Tennessee General Assembly. Gov. Haslam signed the bill into law last week.  

WKNO spoke with Rep. Akbari about why lowering the expungement fees was a win for the greater good of the state.

Reporting from the gates of Graceland to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Christopher has covered Memphis news, arts, culture and politics for more than 20 years in print and on the radio. He is currently WKNO's News Director and Senior Producer at the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. Join his conversations about the Memphis arts scene on the WKNO Culture Desk Facebook page.