The bill proposes comprehensive amendments to New Jersey's expungement laws, aimed at reducing barriers and expanding eligibility for individuals seeking to clear their criminal records. Key changes include allowing individuals who have successfully completed the Recovery Court program to expunge their entire record, including convictions for indictable crimes, disorderly persons offenses, municipal ordinance violations, and juvenile offenses, without the previous requirement of having no new convictions during the program. The bill also introduces provisions for including municipal ordinance violations and juvenile delinquency adjudications in a single expungement petition, streamlining the process. Additionally, it modifies the list of non-expungeable offenses, making certain crimes eligible for expungement while maintaining restrictions on more serious offenses.

Furthermore, the bill enhances the electronic filing and review process for expungements, ensuring that agencies provide petitioners with copies of any corrected or missing documentation. It harmonizes financial assessment requirements across various expungement types, expands eligibility for juvenile records, and reduces the waiting period for Clean Slate expungements from ten to seven years. The establishment of a task force to provide updated recommendations on implementing an automatic expungement system is also included, reflecting the changes in expungement laws and procedures. Overall, these reforms aim to improve access to expungement and facilitate the reintegration of individuals with criminal records into society.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2C:52-4.1, 2C:52-5.3, 2C:52-5.4, 2C:52-10.1