S565 - Revise Automatic Expunction. (SL 2024-35)

Overview: S.L. 2024-35 revises the laws governing the automatic expunction of records and the availability of expunged records as follows:

• Provides that automatic expunctions will occur not less than 180 days and not more than 210 days after the final disposition of the charge eligible for automatic expunction.
• Requires that expunged court records be confidential and retained by the clerks of superior court, retained electronically and made available to the clerks, and that they not be released by the clerk except to certain persons.
• Authorizes prosecutors to have access to all confidential files of expunction.
• Extends the period of time the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has to complete suspended automatic expunctions to 365 days, and provides those expunctions are deemed to have occurred five business days after the expunction is carried out.

This act became effective July 8, 2024.