This bill establishes a system for automatically sealing criminal history record information associated with criminal convictions for certain crimes, provided that certain conditions are met. Automatic sealing refers to the process established by the bill by which criminal history record information related to qualifying convictions must be sealed and the dissemination of that information limited consistent with the requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 15, section 2265, without the need to file a petition to seal the information. Under the bill, the Administrative Office of the Courts must routinely examine electronic case records and compile a list of criminal history record information that qualifies for automatic sealing under this legislation and provide that list to the appropriate courts to issue a sealing order. The bill provides a list of criminal convictions for which automatic sealing may be available. The underlying crimes include all Class E crimes except for sexual offenses; all Class D crimes except for certain crimes, such as certain violent crimes or certain offenses against a family member; certain Class D or Class E drug crimes committed prior to January 30, 2017; and other specified drug crimes. The bill provides that for an eligible criminal conviction to be automatically sealed, 5 years must have passed since the date of conviction for a Class D or Class E crime. For a Class A, Class B or Class C crime, 10 years must have passed since the date of conviction and the person who is the subject of the criminal history record information must have completed the person's sentence, including any period of supervised release. The criminal history record information is not eligible for sealing if the person who is the subject of the criminal history record information has been convicted of any other crimes in the time elapsed since the person satisfied the sentencing requirements of the eligible criminal conviction.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1911, SP 752: 4.17