Idaho bill would allow juvenile criminal records to be expunged sooner

BOISE — The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday introduced legislation that would allow juvenile criminal records to be expunged after three years of meeting requirements.

Current law requires a five-year wait.

Rep. Clay Handy, R-Burley, presented the legislation, calling it “simple to swallow.”

“I think it will change lots of people’s lives dramatically,” Handy said.

Someone who has committed a nonviolent, nonsexual felony crime or was sentenced to juvenile correctional center, could petition for expungement of their record five years after release or after completing their sentence, under current law.

“For a 20-year-old, five years is a quarter of their life,” Handy said.

He said he hopes the change will allow young people who have made mistakes to get back to school or work and avoid committing another crime.

The committee voted to introduce the legislation without discussion.

This session, Handy also co-sponsored with House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, the “Clean Slate Act,” which allows for records to be sealed for someone who has one nonviolent, nonsexual offense after five years without reoffending. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on Feb. 17.