If you’ve been trying to get certain pesky charges and convictions off your record in Delaware, you’re in luck. The Delaware Adult Expungement Reform Act, backed by Senator Darius J. Brown and signed into law by Governor John Carney in June, is now in full effect.
The new laws will make it easier for people convicted of certain criminal charges to get a second chance. It essentially expunges charges for which a person has never been found guilty. Additionally, certain isolated misdemeanors can be expunged once a petition has been filed with the State Bureau of Investigation. Other charges may be expunged if allowed by judges, the Delaware Department of Justice, and victims of that particular crime.
Before this law, the state only allowed adults to petition for expungement if the arrest did not lead to conviction, or if a pardon was granted. Now, citizens without prior or subsequent violent convictions can petition freely after a certain amount of time. Even certain felonies can be expunged.
These changes to Delaware’s criminal justice system will serve to remove barriers that too many citizens face when looking for employment and housing. Senator Brown has hosted and plans to host many more informational fairs to “create opportunity for individuals to really provide upward mobility for themselves, and jobs, and housing, and all those things that are necessary parts of life.”
