By Michael Doudna | 12News Phoenix
Sealing criminal records
In Arizona, an arrest can stay on someone’s criminal record even if no charges are filed.
“Your criminal record typically sticks with you forever,” Kaine Fisher, an attorney with the Rose Law Group, said, “And it impacts your ability for employment, living arrangements, and education.”
The new law allows people to seal the record from the public eye if someone was not convicted of a crime. A convicted individual can seal their record if all the requirements of their sentence are completed.
“It’s important. It’s your criminal history, and no one important to you can see it,” Fisher said.
The sealing is not automatic. Impacted people will still need to petition the court to seal the records.
While the records will not appear on the typical background check, the information will still be available for entities like law enforcement.
