The bill amends Section 12-1-12.1 of the General Laws regarding the sealing of criminal records. It introduces a new provision that mandates the administrative sealing of individual counts of criminal complaints dismissed pursuant to district court rule 48(a) on or after October 1, 2026, upon the request of the defendant following the conclusion of the matter in district court. Additionally, it specifies that any sealing order must be sent electronically by the clerk of the court to the bureau of criminal identification within five days of the entry of the order and shall be carried out within ninety days of the receipt of the order.

The bill also retains existing provisions for sealing records of cases dismissed prior to January 1, 2023, and outlines the process for individuals who are acquitted or exonerated to file a motion for sealing their records. Furthermore, it clarifies that in cases involving domestic violence, records will be retained for three years from the date of filing and cannot be expunged or sealed during that period. The act is set to take effect on October 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
2618: 12-1-12.1