FRESH START – Starting April 4, 2023, Laws concerning sealing and expungement are changing!
On April 4, 2023, the laws concerning the sealing and expungement of a person’s criminal record are expanding. Eligibility for sealing and expungement will now be based upon the offense itself, as opposed to how many convictions a person has. People who in the past have been ineligible to have their record sealed may now be eligible to have at least some of their offenses sealed.
Please keep in mind that the following offenses are not eligible for record sealing and expungement:
- First- and Second-Degree Felony Offenses
- Felony offenses of violence
- Domestic Violence
- Violation of a Protection Order
- Sex offenses, if you are still under a duty to register as a sex offender
This is not an exclusive list of ineligible offenses. However, a conviction for any ineligible offense does not preclude someone from having other convictions on their record sealed and expunged.
There will also now be true expungement available under certain circumstances for certain offenses which means the record of the conviction would not just be hidden from view, but would be literally destroyed and not available to see by anyone except for very limited circumstances.
If you have been denied in the past or just wish to check your eligibility under the new laws, our office encourages you to attend our Fresh Start Expungement Clinic.
Please click here for more information about Fresh Start.