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Indiana Expands Expungement Law

Beginning July 1, 2019, expungement in Indiana will change for the better for individuals seeking to start over and clear their criminal record. Indiana’s second chance law will be expanded to allow for the expungement of actions related to an arrest, charge, or conviction.

Currently, those granted an expungement are without recourse to seal collateral actions such as civil forfeitures and other judicial matters that relate to their criminal arrest or conviction. Beginning July 1, 2019, the law will now specifically provide that all collateral actions related to an arrest or conviction must be permanently sealed in combination with the expungement.

Collateral actions are any proceeding, including an administrative proceeding that is factually or legally related to an arrest, charge, or conviction. Most commonly this refers to civil forfeiture proceedings and petitions for specialized driving privileges. The expansion of the statute to include collateral actions in the expungement process allows for permanent sealing of any reference to your criminal case, truly giving you a second chance.

With offices in Lafayette, Bloomington, Fort Wayne and Anderson, Gibson Law Office has extensive experience expunging criminal records throughout Indiana. We have the experience to help you get a second chance.