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While jobs were plentiful, one thing was still keeping people out of the work force: criminal records. The individual said no, and the judge said, “Well why not? In this economy, if you can breathe, you can find a job.” But that wasn’t quite true. I remember sitting in the back of courtroom, listening to a judge ask a defendant whether he worked. In 2018, Utah’s unemployment rate was under 3%, one of the lowest rates in the nation. Utah’s Clean Slate story starts with jobs. As a result, only around 2,000 expungement petitions are filed statewide each year, which represents a small percentage of those who are eligible. From start to finish, the process can take more than a year to complete.
#Clean slate expungement full
Then they must travel to several municipal courthouses across the state to file their paperwork in person, and potentially go back to court later for a full hearing before a judge if either the prosecutor or the victim objects. Then they must apply for and obtain from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), a “certificate of eligibility,” which expires after 90 days and involves additional cost. In most cases, individuals must hire an attorney to understand the complex eligibility criteria and procedural requirements. While Utah’s eligibility criteria for expungement are quite generous (allowing for multiple felony and misdemeanor records to be expunged), the expungement process is expensive and time-consuming. The petition-based systems that exist in most states are costly, confusing, and cumbersome. Perhaps the most tragic thing about the number of people struggling with the collateral consequences of a criminal record is that, in many states, so many are eligible to clear their records but so few ever make it through the process. As someone who was involved in that process from the beginning, I hope it will be helpful to others seeking to push their own states in that direction. What follows is a story about how Utah, one of the reddest states in the nation, came to adopt such a generous and efficient record relief system. Preliminary estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of people across the state will have their records expunged automatically. Several months later, implementation is back on track, and it is now anticipated that Utah’s state agencies will begin clearing court and repository records of non-convictions and qualifying misdemeanor convictions by the end of March. That law went into effect on May 1, 2020, but due to COVID-19, implementation efforts were delayed. At the time, this made Utah the third state in the nation to pass a law automating the criminal record expungement process.
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In March of 2019, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed HB 431, Utah’s Clean Slate law.
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#Clean slate expungement registration
Relief from Sex Offense Registration Obligations.Criminal Record in Employment, Licensing & Housing.Expungement, Sealing & Other Record Relief.Loss & Restoration of Firearms Rights under Federal Law.Loss & Restoration of Civil/Firearms Rights.Your application will be reviewed by a Clean Slate navigator who will contact you within a couple of weeks. Create a Pure Michigan Talent Connect account.Sign the Clean Slate participation agreement.
#Clean slate expungement driver
Provide a valid photo copy of your ID (acceptable forms of ID include state-issued driver license or personal ID card, passport, military ID card/record, federal Native American Tribe ID).The information you provide will allow a Clean Slate navigator to retrieve your Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) and assess your eligibility for expungement. It will also ask for personal information such as name, home address, a valid email address. The application will ask about the number of convictions and includes several yes/no questions about the type of convictions. Please submit the Online Eligibility Application to determine if you are eligible for the Clean Slate program through West Michigan Works!.