In April 2021, a series of new 'Clean Slate' laws became effective that greatly expands expungement eligibility criteria. In some cases, the clean slate law will automate the criminal record expungement process.
These laws:
•Open the expungement process to those with not more than three felonies and an unlimited number of misdemeanors.
•Shorten wait times for applications to set aside convictions to three years for misdemeanors, five years for felonies, and seven years for multiple felonies.
•Automatically expunge up to two felonies after 10 years and four misdemeanors after seven years for those who have stayed crime-free - with no expungement application required.
•Make most traffic misdemeanor offenses eligible for expungement.
•Judges are required to set aside misdemeanor marijuana offenses that would otherwise be legal under the new adult-use weed law within 80 days of receiving an application if the local prosecutors' office does not object.
•Make multiple offenses arising from one crime count as a single offense - the "one bad day rule."
•Keep expunged crimes shielded from the public view, such as employers or landlords.
The automatic expungement process does not become effective for two years (October 2022). However, the rest of the new clean slate laws became effective April 12, 2021 and you can now take advantage of these new laws NOW.
We are currently helping numerous persons, including those who were previously ineligible under the old law, to file petitions to clean their records, Call us. We can help.