Legislative glossary
Expungement
Definition
The legal process that erases a criminal record. Automatic expungement skips the petition process.
Why it matters
Expungement laws erase or seal criminal records that otherwise follow people for life, blocking apartments, jobs, licenses, and loans long after a sentence ends. The modern policy debate is about automation: petition-based expungement helps only the few who can navigate courts and fees, so newer laws make record-clearing automatic.
In the game
Expungement anchors The Bill to Law Game's Cannabis pack as the 'narrow but real' option, fewer enemies than legalization, genuine stakes for the people it touches.