House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search

House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	October 20, 2015 11:55 AM
From:	Representative Joanna E. McClinton
To:	All House members
Subject:	Co-Sponsorship: Automatic expungement after acquittal

In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would provide for automatic expungement of criminal history record information relating to specific charges if a person is acquitted of those charges. Current law does not provide for automatic expungement under any circumstances. Anyone seeking expungement must submit a petition to the court, provide a copy of their Pennsylvania State Police criminal record and, in most counties, pay a fee. I believe this is an unfair burden on those who have been acquitted of a crime. If a person has been tried by a jury of his or her peers and found not guilty, the person should not have to carry around a criminal record that may limit employment and housing opportunities for the rest of the individual’s life. The person’s record should be automatically expunged of the charges rather than being forced to petition and oftentimes pay the court to have the record expunged. My legislation would provide for automatic expungement following acquittal in adult criminal cases as well as juvenile delinquency cases. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact my office at 717-772-9850.

---