People who have crimes removed from their public record are less likely to reoffend, but a lot of people who are eligible don’t get their records expunged.
That’s according to University of Michigan Professor Sonja Starr. She recently completed a study on criminal expungement in Michigan. Current law allows a person to apply to get rid of up to two misdemeanors or one felony after five years.
Starr spoke Tuesday at a House committee hearing on legislation to expand the state’s expungement laws
“After a few clean years it is pretty safe to assume that a person is done committing crimes.”
Bills in the state House would increase the number of criminal convictions that can be set aside. Others would allow for some crimes to be automatically taken off a person’s record