Understanding the Benefits of Ohio’s New Expungement Statute

A criminal record can have a detrimental impact on both your present circumstances and your future opportunities.

Any past charges and convictions listed on your criminal record have the potential to damage your social relationships and limit your employment and educational opportunities.

Fortunately, as of October 29, 2018, Ohio is expanding its expungement laws under ORC § 2953.32.

An expungement serves as a legal pardon that seals away specific charges and convictions from your criminal record. While the record still exists, you can legally claim the sealed offense never occurred.

Your criminal history won’t even show up on background checks unless you’re applying for a government position or a caregiving role. According to ORC § 2953.32, you may be able to permanently expunge certain nonviolent and nonsexual misdemeanors and/or felonies.

Per the new law, you may be able to:

1. Expunge up to five fourth and fifth-degree felonies
2. Expunge unlimited misdemeanors

However, the following exceptions may limit your expungement options:

1. Your convictions can’t be violent or sexually oriented felonies
2. Your misdemeanor offenses can’t be violence-related
3. You can’t have any first, second, or third-degree felonies

This is very exciting news for people with criminal records and criminal defense attorneys! Anyone with prior convictions related to theft and drugs can now have a second chance at life without being haunted by the deeds of their past.

However, if your record isn’t eligible under the new law, you can still benefit from older expungement laws. It’s important to discuss your case with a seasoned criminal defense attorney to learn which options best benefit your circumstances.

Schedule a Consultation

At Gounaris Abboud, LPA, we are thrilled about the many opportunities this new law provides our fellow Ohioans. If you have any questions about ORC § 2953.32, your eligibility, or the expungement process, contact our Dayton criminal defense attorneys today.

Call Gounaris Abboud, LPA at 937-222-1515 to schedule a consultation.