Expungement in Rhode Island is the legal process of destroying or sealing court and arrest records so they no longer appear on standard background checks. Successful expungement treats the case as if it never occurred for most purposes. Rhode Island's Second Chance Law expanded expungement eligibility significantly and created automatic expungement for many dismissed cases, acquittals, and no-file decisions. Standard waiting periods are 5 years for misdemeanors and 10 years for felonies (7 years for some non-violent felonies). The expungement removes major employment, housing, and licensing barriers that follow criminal records permanently.
