Are You Eligible? Clean Slate Connecticut

Clean Slate eligibility

Clean Slate erasure

On January 1, 2023, certain cannabis convictions will be automatically erased. Other cannabis convictions and some older non-cannabis convictions can be erased if you submit a petition.

Once the automated erasure technology is fully implemented, many other convictions will be automatically erased through the Clean Slate program with no action required from you. Those convictions can be erased from your record if you haven’t committed any new crimes in seven or 10 years (the time frame depends on the type of conviction). You must also have finished serving the sentences for all crimes you’ve been convicted of.

Eligible offenses

Automatic Clean Slate erasure

Any classified or unclassified misdemeanor (imprisonment less than one year), with a seven-year waiting period from the person’s most recent conviction. To view the full list of Eligible Offenses for Clean Slate Erasure, click here.
Class D, E, or unclassified felonies (imprisonment less than five years), or any conviction for operating while under the influence (Connecticut General Statutes § 14-227a), with a ten-year waiting period from the person’s most recent conviction.

Offenses not eligible for Clean Slate erasure

Any conviction, or on after January 1, 2000, for a family violence crime, as defined in section 46b-38a
Any conviction for an offense that is a nonviolent sexual offense or a sexually violent offense, each as defined in section 54-250
Any conviction for a violation of section 29-33, 53a-60a, 53a-60b, 53a-60c, 53a-61a, 53a-64bb, 53a-64cc, 53a-72a, 53a-90a, 53a-103a, 53a-181c, 53a-189a (a)(1), 53a-191, 53a-196, 53a-196d, 53a-196f, 53a-211, 53a-212, 53a-216, 53a-217, 53a-217a, 53a-217c, 53a-322, 53a-323, 54-251, 54-252, 54-253, or 54-254 or subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-189a
Any conviction for a violation of section 14-227a followed by another conviction for section 14-227a within the ten years following.

Requirements for Clean Slate erasure

You have completed all sentence components for all of your convictions. Sentence components include:
- Prison time
- Parole and special parole
- Probation
Your conviction was on or after January 1, 2000. The offense must also have been committed after January 1, 2000, in order for automatic erasure to happen.

You have met the waiting period for your conviction:
- For misdemeanors, the waiting period is seven years from the date of your last conviction.
- For felonies, the waiting period is 10 years from the date of your last conviction.
  NOTE: If you were convicted of a violation of section 21a-279 (c) (certain drug possession) before October 1, 2015, the violation will be erased under the Cannabis erasure law. So, it will not count as a conviction for the purpose of the date of your last conviction for the waiting period.

If you believe that your conviction(s) dated on or after January 1, 2000 should have been automatically erased but was not, you may request a hearing by doing the following:
1. Request a current criminal history record check from the State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI), which must be dated on or after January 1, 2024. You can request your criminal history online or by mail by completing the DPS-0846-C form.
2. Complete the Hearing for Clean Slate Erasure Form, where you will have to certify the following:
  - Your name (including aliases or maiden names), date of birth, address, email, and telephone #
  - Docket or Case Information
  - Details as to why you believe the offense(s) should be erased
3. Send the current criminal history dated on or after January 1, 2024 and the completed DESPP-0847-C to DESPP.cshearing@ct.gov.
- You may also mail the information to:
DESPP

Attn; Legal Affairs

1111 Country Club Road

Middletown, CT 06457
If you were convicted of an offense that was committed before January 1, 2000, you must file a petition with the court to get that conviction erased under Clean Slate.

To be completed by March 31, 2024:
- Convictions of DUI statute 14-227a.
- Erasures for this offense will require additional time to implement as a result of statutory changes that were made.

NOTE: None of the information on this website should be considered legal advice. All information and materials provided are intended for informational purposes only.