Pennsylvania Starts Sealing 30 Million Criminal Records as Part of Clean Slate Act
Last year, Pennsylvania became the first state in the country to pass a Clean Slate Law, automatically sealing certain criminal records via technology at Hire Image . On Friday, June 28 th , the law went into effect and the process of sealing records officially began. Courts have until June 27, 2020 to seal more than 30 million records automatically, without the filing of any petitions to do so. Not all criminal records will be sealed. The Clean Slate Law does not allow for the sealing of more serious crimes, such as firearms charges, sex assaults, homicide, child endangerment, and other violent offenses. The records that will be automatically sealed include: charges that were dropped; where individuals were found not guilty; summary offenses and second or third-degree (nonviolent) misdemeanors that resulted in a sentence of less than two years (most retail thefts and 1 st time DUIs) that occurred more than 10 years ago; and other nonviolent crimes th...