Updated Expungement Laws

At WipeRecord, a division of Eastman Meyler, PC, we pride ourselves on staying up to date on numerous state laws regarding criminal record expungement and firearm rights restoration. There are several states that have recently started to embrace post-conviction relief opportunities for past offenders, realizing the importance of such relief.

Just recently, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia passed sweeping legislation to allow for those with certain convictions to petition the courts for an expungement*.  Utah passed a clean slate record expungement bill earlier this year too.  Many states that have been offering expungements and set-asides for years are continuing to improve their laws as well. Therefore, more and more people are becoming eligible for this type of legal relief.  

For example, California expungement law expanded when they recently passed Assembly Bill 1076 which expands the current expungement law for those who successfully finish probation after serving time in county jail.  

New Jersey recently expanded its expungement laws as well. There were many positive changes, but the most notable change is that an individual may now expunge a greater number of offenses in New Jersey, and the waiting periods have significantly been decreased. 

These aforementioned states are just a handful of examples. Indiana has updated their laws too and we’ll be discussing those in a separate article shortly. 

Our firm is constantly talking to clients across the country, and sometimes people are not eligible for services. But we always tell them to check back every few months because laws are constantly being updated.  

If you’re not sure about your certain state and whether your conviction or arrest is eligible to be expunged, we encourage you to take our expungement eligibility test. Also – you can always read the state’s rules but that doesn’t really make for fun reading. Also, expungement laws can often be more complex than most people realize, so it’s best to consult an experienced professional.

*WipeRecord will be entering these states soon to provide much needed post-conviction relief services to the tens of thousands of residents who suffer from having a criminal record.