On January 1, 2017, several new Expungement Law Updates took effect. Among the updates was the ratification of Public Act 99-0881, which amended the Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/5.2(b)(1)) to expand your ability to expunge your arrest from your record.  According to the Act, as of the new year, you can expunge any arrest for an expungeable offense that results in your release without charging, acquittal, dismissal, or successfully completed supervision. What’s new about that? In the past, if you had a conviction in your background, you could never again file for expungement – a prior conviction was an automatic bar to future expungement.  As of January, prior convictions will no longer stand in the way of your otherwise-expungeable arrest.

This Expungement Law Update is a good step toward reforming the way society treats people that have made mistakes, but paid back their debt to society for those mistakes.  Expungement is an effective tool to prevent certain arrests from standing in your way when it comes to getting a job and applying for a loan, for example, and the expansion of the expungement statute to include these previously-unexpungeable arrests will open new doors for many Illinoisans.

Our team of attorneys here at LauraLaw is experienced in the expugement and sealing of criminal records. Not only do we keep up with all Expungement Law Updates so that we can best serve your expungement needs, but we offer experienced and skilled criminal defense to put you in the best position to avoid an unexpungeable conviction. So if you should find yourself under arrest for any crime, or wish to have a prior arrest expunged from your record or sealed from your record, do not hesitate to contact us, and we will assist you with all of your criminal defense needs.

In the meantime, if you want more information about the expungement process, check out our 3-Part Series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) on Expungment and Sealing from 2014.