The Clean Slate Act continued the restorative justice work of Senator Darius Brown by building on the success of the Adult Expungement Reform Act of 2019, which significantly expanded the availability of expungements to Delawareans beyond the previously narrow population of people who have received a pardon or were charged but never convicted of a crime.
Under that legislation adult expungements are now mandatory for some isolated misdemeanors once a petition has been filed with the State Bureau of Identification. The bill also made clear that other charges can be expunged at the discretion of judges with input from both the Delaware Department of Justice and any victims affected by the crime in question.
The Clean Slate Act automated the expungement process for thousands of adults and juveniles by eliminating the need for them to first file a petition with the State Bureau of Identification. Initial estimates indicated more than 290,000 adults would benefit immediately from the Clean Slate Act once it is fully implemented.