HB405 Summary

• Expands eligibility for criminal record expungement to include convictions for misdemeanor offenses, traffic violations, municipal ordinance violations, and Class C and D felony convictions, including those adjudicated as youthful offenders, under specified conditions.

• Establishes a $500 filing fee for expungement of criminal convictions (versus $300 for dismissed charges), with revenue distributed to state and local agencies including the State Judicial Administrative Fund, district attorney offices, court clerk offices, and law enforcement.

• Requires petitioners to complete probation/parole, wait specified periods (3 years for misdemeanors, 5 years for Class C/D felonies), have no prior violent felony convictions, and not be convicted sex offenders to qualify for conviction expungement.

• Allows indigent petitioners to apply for hardship status and establish payment plans for filing fees.

• Directs the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center to digitally archive expunged records and restrict their use to criminal justice purposes only, with protection from transmission to federal databases.