The New Jersey Senate is considering new legislation that would reform New Jersey's criminal expungement law. Expungement is a court procedure in which records of criminal convictions are extracted and isolated from the public in New Jersey. The new expungement law would broaden the eligibility requirements and also shorten expungement waiting periods.
The new expungement legislation consists of a series of bills that were sponsored by Senator Sandra Cunningham and Senate President Stephen Sweeney. The bills are intended to reform New Jersey's expungement law and would prevent potential employers from discriminating against individuals based on criminal records. They would also prevent employers from utilizing online job applications that require the disclose of any criminal convictions.
Governor Chris Christie also assisted in bringing about the new legislation in an effort to assist rehabilitated offenders find job opportunities, especially those whose criminal offenses were due to drug addiction.
One of the proposed bills would expand the current eligibility scheme so as to allow those individuals with multiple offenses to expunge their records so long as the offenses are minor or closely related in circumstances or time. The same bill would also decrease the waiting period for felony convictions to six years, as opposed to ten. Moreover, in cases of more minor drug offenses, such as the sale or distribution of marijuana, the bill would allow for expungement after one year.
Another bill would reduce the waiting period for juvenile offenses from five years to three years, while the third bill would strengthen the law prohibiting employers from inquiring into an applicant's criminal history prior to the first interview.
To become law, the bills must be signed by the New Jersey Senate and Assembly and Governor Christie.
Katherine O'Brien Law is a law firm located in New Jersey that focuses on New Jersey criminal record expungements. Learn more about New Jersey's expungement law here.
About the Author: Katherine O'Brien
Katherine O'Brien founded Katherine O'Brien Law out of her desire to provide affordable New Jersey expungement services to individuals deserving a fresh start. She has been practicing New Jersey expungement law throughout her legal career and has assisted in drafting expungement briefs before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
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At Katherine O’Brien Law, we are committed to helping people remove their criminal records and offering them a fresh start. Our experienced expungement lawyers will handle every aspect of your expungement from the beginning to the end. In addition, we understand that many of our clients are seeking an expungement in order to gain employment or further their careers. Thus, we offer affordable expungements and flexible payment plans. In addition to helping people clear their criminal records, we also provide New Jersey legal name changes and driver’s license restoration services. We also represent clients nationwide with FDIC Section 19 waivers, TSA Global... View full business profile here: Katherine O'Brien Law
