Wyoming

Restoration of Rights Project – Wyoming Profile

Guide to restoration of rights, pardon, sealing & expungement following a Wyoming criminal conviction

 


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  • Bumper crop of new expungement laws expected in 2019 (4/9/2019) - Earlier this year we reported that, in 2018, legislatures enacted an unprecedented number of new laws aimed at restoring rights and opportunities for people with a criminal record.  (Last year 32 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands enacted 61 new laws to facilitate reentry and reintegration.)  The first quarter of 2019 has already produced a baker's dozen of new restoration laws, some quite significant, indicating that this year is likely to be every bit as productive as last.  The 13 new laws enhance access to record-clearing relief, occupational licensing and employment, and executive clemency.  Also notable, if only for the sheer number of people who will benefit when the law goes into effect on July 1, is the Virginia legislature's accession to Governor Ralph Northam's request that it "eliminate[] the unfair practice of revoking a person’s driver’s license for failure to pay court fines and fees," which will immediately reinstate driving privileges to more than 627,000 Virginians. This year to date, state lawmakers have focused most of their attention on improving access to record-clearing: 8 of the 13 new laws expand eligibility for expungement and sealing and streamline applicable procedures.  The two most significant new laws were enacted in Western states.  Utah's HB 431—signed by Governor Gary Herbert on March 28, 2019—provides for automated sealing relief for certain non-conviction, infraction, and misdemeanor conviction records.  When it takes effect on May 1, 2020, it will be the nation's second "clean slate" law in operation (Pennsylvania's first-in-the-Nation 2018 clean slate law will be implemented over a 12-month period beginning in June 2019).  Utah also clarified that employers may not ask about—and an applicant for employment need not disclose—expunged convictions (except under narrow exceptions for public employment). New Mexico's Criminal Records Expungement Act (CREA) for the first time authorizes courts in that state, upon application, to limit public access to adult records, including both felonies and misdemeanors, as well as non-conviction records.  HB 370, signed by the governor on April 3 and effective January 1, 2020, provides graduated eligibility waiting periods depending upon the seriousness of the offense, and applies to all but a handful of crimes.  Other highlights from the new record-closing laws include expanded sealing eligibility for adults in Kentucky and West Virginia, and for juveniles in Nebraska and Wyoming. Occupational licensing reforms were enacted in Ohio and Utah that regulate how licensing boards may consider criminal records, continuing a recent push for reform in this area.  Both states will now allow individuals to request at any time a preliminary determination whether their record would disqualify them from holding a license.  Ohio will also require licensing boards to publish on the internet a list of all criminal offenses for which a conviction would disqualify a person.  In addition, New Mexico extended its "ban-the-box" law to private employment, requiring employers to delay consideration of an applicant's criminal history in the hiring process. Finally, South Dakota streamlined its clemency process by allowing two members of the pardon and parole board to make clemency recommendations to the governor (rather than a majority of the nine-member board). The 13 new laws enacted to date in 2019 are described in further detail below, and have been added to the state profiles in the Restoration of Rights Project.  We will be tracking restoration bills throughout the year, and will report periodically in this space - particularly when a significant new law is enacted. RECORD-CLEARING RELIEF  Utah - Clean slate; effect of expungement On March 28, 2019, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed HB 431, a highly significant "clean slate" law that will automate expungement or deletion of a variety of criminal records when it takes effect on May 1, 2020.  Acquittals and dismissals with prejudice are eligible.  Certain infractions, misdemeanor convictions, and pleas in abeyance are eligible under a complex set of criteria.  Automated relief will apply both to cases adjudicated on or after May 1, 2020, and to cases adjudicated before that date, with separate procedures for each category.  77-40-116(1)(a) and (1)(b).  A more detailed explanation of this new law can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Utah profile. On March 25, 2019, Governor Herbert signed HB 90 (effective May 14, 2019) that makes clear that an applicant with an expunged criminal record seeking employment from a private employer “may answer a question related to an expunged criminal record as though the action underlying the expunged criminal record never occurred.”  § 34-52-301.  The new law also clarifies that a public employer may not make an inquiry related to expunged criminal history—and an applicant may answer such a question “as though the action underlying the expunged criminal record never occurred,” except for preexisting exemptions for certain types of public employers, volunteer work, or when consideration of criminal history is required by law.  § 34-52-201.  More information can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Utah profile. New Mexico - First general authority to expunge adult records In 2019, New Mexico enacted a comprehensive law authorizing expungement (sealing) of most non-conviction records, and of conviction records for all but a limited number of crimes, including those involving serious violence and sexual assault.  See HB 370, signed into law not yet codified.  Effective January 1, 2020, the Criminal Record Expungement Act (CREA) authorizes courts to limit public access to most non-conviction records after a one-year waiting period, as long as no charges are pending against the individual.  Courts are also authorized to limit public access to the record of most convictions after waiting periods ranging from two to ten years, depending upon the seriousness of the offense, with no intervening convictions.  The court must find that “justice will be served by an order to expunge,” applying a multi-factor test.  Under current law, New Mexico law contains no judicial authority to seal adult records, and an administrative authority to seal non-conviction records applies only to some misdemeanors.  Upon taking effect, CREA will give New Mexico one of the broadest record-closing authorities in the Nation.  More information about this important new law can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, New Mexico profile. West Virginia - Expanded eligibility for expungement to some felonies On March 25, 2019, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed into law SB 152, which will significantly expand the availability of expungement when it becomes effective on June 7, 2019.  The law extends eligibility for expungement beyond the limited class of youthful misdemeanants that benefit under existing law, and also makes certain felonies eligible for expungement relief for the first time.  (It repeals a 2017 law that authorized reduction of these felonies to misdemeanors, but withheld expungement.)  Violent and sexual crimes are ineligible.  Under the new law, persons convicted of eligible misdemeanors may petition for expungement one year after conviction, or completion of incarceration or supervision if later.  The waiting period is extended to two years for persons convicted of more than one eligible misdemeanor, and to five years for eligible felonies.  Persons who have completed substance abuse treatment or graduated from a state-approved job training program may seek relief after an abbreviated waiting period (90 days for a single misdemeanor; one year for multiple misdemeanors; three years for felonies).  Employers required by state or federal law to conduct a background check may access expunged convictions.  More information can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, West Virginia profile. Kentucky - Expanded expungement eligibility and procedural reforms   On March 26, 2019, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed SB 57 (effective June 26, 2019), which makes several changes to Kentucky's expungement law, expanding non-conviction and felony eligibility.  First, the new law will make charges dismissed without prejudice eligible for expungement after a 5-year waiting period (under current law, such charges cannot be expunged).  § 431.076.  Second, certificates of eligibility will no longer need to be sought prior to a petition to expunge a non-conviction record (but are still required for a conviction record). Third, the new law expands eligibility to vacate, dismiss, and expunge class D felony convictions.  A 2016 law had made a specific list of class D felony offenses eligible (or multiple eligible felonies stemming from a single incident).  Prior to that, Class D felonies were only eligible if adjudication was deferred.  Under SB 57, any Class D felony or a "series" of such felonies will be eligible, except for violations of Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 189A.010 (DUI), 508.032 (domestic assault), or 519.055 (impersonating a peace officer), abuse of public office, a sex offense, an offense committed against a child, or an offense that resulted in serious bodily injury or death.  § 431.073.  If a prosecutor objects to expunging a Class D felony from this expanded set of offenses, the applicant must show by clear and convincing evidence at a hearing that vacating the judgment and expunging the record is consistent with public welfare and safety, supported by the applicant's behavior since conviction, and warranted by the interests of justice.  Id.  More details about this law can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Kentucky profile. Nebraska - Automatic sealing of juvenile records expanded On March 27, 2019, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts signed LB 354 (effective three months after the legislature adjourns in 2019), which makes a host of changes to facilitate the sealing of juvenile records.  Most notably, this new law expands automatic juvenile sealing (which already covers non-conviction dispositions) to include satisfactory completion of juvenile probation, supervision, or other treatment or rehabilitation program or a county court probation or sentence.  Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-2,108.03.  More details about this law can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Nebraska profile. Wyoming - Juvenile expungement procedures strengthened On February 15, 2019, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed HB 44, which makes several changes to strengthen Wyoming's juvenile expungement laws, effective effective July 1, 2019. These changes include the following.  No filing fee may be charged for a petition to expunge juvenile records.  A state or municipality may petition to expunge juvenile records.  Prosecutors have 20 days to object to a petition for juvenile expungement, after which the court may summarily grant the request.  A minor admitted to a diversion program or granted a deferral, or whose arrest, charges, or disposition do not result in conviction or adjudication, may petition to expunge municipal and circuit court records in the same manner as juvenile records.  Expungement of juvenile records (and certain municipal and circuit court records involving minors) is defined to mean destruction of records.  More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Wyoming profile. Virginia - Automatic expungement for absolute pardons On February 27, 2019, Governor Ralph Northam signed HB 2278, which takes effect on July 1, 2019.  This new law will entitle a person who receives an “absolute” pardon to automatic judicial expungement—no petition need be filed with the court.  Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-392.2(I).  (Absolute pardons are generally granted only for innocence.)  More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Virginia profile. OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING Ohio - Preliminary determination of whether record disqualifies from occupational licensure; publication of disqualifying convictions On December 27, 2018, the Ohio Legislature enrolled SB 225, which became law 10 days later without action by the governor.  Effective April 5, 2019, anyone who has a conviction may request at any time that a licensing authority determine whether the conviction disqualifies the person from obtaining an occupational or professional license.  Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 9.78(B).  A fee of no more than $25 may be charged.  Id.  Within thirty days of receiving a request, the licensing authority must inform the person of its decision (the decision is not binding if the licensing authority determines that the person's convictions differ from what was included in the request).  Id.  In addition, licensing authorities must make available on the internet a list of all criminal offenses for which a conviction would disqualify a person from obtaining a license.  § 9.78(C).  More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Ohio profile. Utah - Preliminary determination of whether record disqualifies from occupational licensure On March 25, 2019, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a law that will allow a person with a criminal record to apply at any time for a determination of whether their record would disqualify them from obtaining a license in an occupation or profession regulated by Title 58 of the Utah code, when it takes effect on May 14, 2019.  See HB 90; Utah Code Ann. § 58-1-310.  A fee may be charged.  Within 30 days of receipt of a completed application,  the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing must make a written determination, and the decision may include additional steps the individual could take to qualify for a license.  Id.  This new law also amends the definition of "unprofessional conduct" in § 58-1-501(2), based on which a license may be denied or restricted.  Existing law defines "unprofessional conduct" to include, among other things, a plea or conviction for a crime of moral turpitude or a crime that bears a "reasonable relationship" to safe or competent performance of the occupation.  § 58-1-501(2).  The new law replaces "reasonable relationship" with "substantial relationship."   See id; HB 90.  More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, Utah profile. EMPLOYMENT New Mexico - Ban-the-box in the private employment On April 3, 2019, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB 96, which will extend "ban-the-box" to include private employers when it goes into effect.  Under the new law, if a private employer uses an employment application, the employer may not make an inquiry regarding an applicant's criminal history.  (Enacted as new section of N.M. Stat. Ann. § 28-2-1, et seq.)  Nonetheless, an employer "may take into consideration an applicant's conviction after review of the applicant's application and upon discussion of employment with the applicant."  And an employer may notify the public or an applicant that the law or the employer's policy could disqualify an applicant with a certain criminal history from particular positions.  Id.  More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, New Mexico profile.  (Note that the ban-the-box law applicable to public employers in New Mexico is considerably more protective of individuals with a record, prohibiting inquiries until the applicant has been selected as a finalist, and disallowing consideration of non-conviction records and misdemeanors not involving "moral turpitude.")  CLEMENCY South Dakota - Streamlined clemency process On February 5, 2019, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed HB 1005, which authorizes a hearing panel of two Board members appointed by the chair to make clemency recommendations to the governor.  See HB 1005 (repealing the requirement in S.D. Codified Laws § 24-13-4.6 that commutation and pardon recommendations be made by a majority of the nine-member board, and making conforming amendments to §§ 24-15A-10 and 24-15A-11).  A new provision of § 24-15A provides for review of a panel’s decision to deny a pardon recommendation by the full Board, which may “adopt, modify, or reject the panel’s denial and recommend a pardon.”   More details can be found in the Restoration of Rights Project, South Dakota profile. MISCELLANEOUS  Virginia - Reinstatement of drivers' licenses  An amendment to Virginia's 2019 budget bill specifically requested by Governor Ralph Northam to "eliminate[] the unfair practice of revoking a person’s driver’s license for failure to pay court fines and fees," was accepted by the legislature on April 3, 2019.  See HB 1700.  When this law becomes effective on July 1, it will immediately reinstate driving privileges to more than 627,000 Virginians.   
  • Collateral Consequences in Occupational Licensing Act (6/29/2018) - We've noted in recent posts the numerous states that, just in the past three or four months, have enacted broad occupational licensing reforms affecting people with a criminal record.  Many of these new laws have been influenced by a model developed by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a libertarian public interest law firm that has been litigating and lobbying to reduce barriers to work for more than two decades.  In turn, states like Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Wisconsin have built upon IJ's model to enact even more progressive schemes intended to ensure that people with the requisite professional qualifications will not be unfairly excluded based on a record of arrest or conviction. Now IJ has incorporated many of these progressive refinements into its original model licensing law, the Occupational Licensing Review Act (OLRA), and broken out the provisions relating to criminal records into a free-standing model act specifically directed at managing collateral consequences in the occupational licensing context, the new Collateral Consequences in Occupational Licensing Act (CCOLA). The CCOLA has the same key features as the original OLRA: It provides individuals with an opportunity to seek a preliminary determination from the licensing agency as to whether their criminal record will be disqualifying; It allows the individual to seek this determination at any time, including before investing in the required training necessary to otherwise qualify for the license, requires a written decision within 90 days, and limits what the agency may charge for this determination to $100; It limits the types of records that an agency may consider in a licensing decision to convictions of serious or violent crimes; It shifts the burden of proof to the agency to establish that a petitioner’s conviction is substantially related to the state’s interest in protecting public safety; It requires agencies to provide written reasons justifying denial of a license based on conviction in terms of public safety; and It requires each agency to publish a report annually on the number of applicants with a criminal record seeking a license, the number of approvals and denials, and the type of offenses for each type of action. In addition to these features, IJ has recently further clarified the types of criminal conduct that may be considered in licensing decisions, and specifically prohibited the use of vague criteria like "good moral character" as a basis for exclusion.   As revised, IJ's model laws  now provide that licensing agencies may not consider non-conviction records, juvenile adjudications, non-violent misdemeanors, and most felonies and violent misdemeanors that occurred more than three years prior to seeking licensure.  See CCOLA, 100.02, Subd. 7.  Agencies may consider violent felonies and sexual offenses at any time, although even these records must still be tested against the "public safety" standard: The board may deny the petition only if it establishes by clear and convincing evidence that: 1. The individual was convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor, not excluded by subdivision 7, which is directly, substantially and adversely related to the state's interest in protecting public safety; and 2. The granting of state recognition will put the individual in a position where the individual is more likely than not to reoffend and cause harm. See CCOLA, 100.02, Subd 10(c). IJ's website points out that "[m]ore than 25 percent of workers need a government-issued license to work," so lowering barriers to licensure for people with a criminal record has important implications for efficiency and public safety.  In introducing its stand-alone CCOLA model, IJ’s website states the following: An honest living is one of the best ways to prevent those with a criminal record from re-offending. But many occupational licensing laws block or burden ex-offenders from entering regulated fields.  Numerous licensing laws have morality clauses that (1) bar automatically and permanently ex-offenders from working without any individualized review or (2) require the ex-offender to prove a negative—that the ex-offender’s past crimes will not cause him to harm customers in the future. Such provisions ironically may decrease public safety.  States with prohibitions and high burdens on entry have higher criminal recidivism. Conversely, states that have no such bars and low burdens have seen declines in recidivism, according to Professor Stephen Slivinski’s landmark study Turning Shackles into Bootstraps. IJ’s website surveys some of the key provisions of many of the recently enacted state licensing reforms.  It also very happily links to the relevant 50-state chart from the Restoration of Rights Project, which we very much appreciate! With an enrolled bill sitting on its governor's desk for action, New Hampshire is poised to become the 10th state to enact comprehensive licensing reform in 2018.  In addition to Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Wisconsin, Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Wyoming have all just this year enacted new laws incorporating many of the features of IJ's model law.  Illinois anticipated these states by six months when it significantly amended its licensing scheme to reflect IJ's approach in August 2017. We were pleased to be able to work with Lee McGrath of IJ’s office in Minneapolis in developing many of the amended features of the CCOLA, which have also been folded into IJ's broader model occupational licensing act.  We look forward to continuing to work with Lee and his colleagues in months to come.  
  • More states enact major “second chance” reforms (6/11/2018) - In recent weeks, three more states -- Colorado, Louisiana and Vermont -- have enacted laws intended to make it easier for people with a criminal record to find and keep employment, or otherwise to regain rights and status. We are just now noting Wyoming's enactment in March 2018 of general standards for professional and occupational licensure, which impose new restrictions on how criminal record may be taken into account by licensing agencies, and its amendment of more than a dozen specific licensing laws. In the first five months of 2018 alone, a total of 21 states have enacted legislation to improve opportunities for people with a criminal record, with more similar laws evidently on the way.  States have enacted several different types of "second chance" laws this year, from expansion of voting rights to expansion of judicial authority to relieve collateral consequences at sentencing. On May 25, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law an expansion of the state's expungement authority for both adult and juvenile offenders, reducing waiting periods and other eligibility criteria for qualifying felony and misdemeanor convictions.  The new law also authorizes courts to expunge non-conviction records 12 months after the conclusion of the case, without need for a petition from the defendant, and without regard to the nature of the offense.  This is the third time in recent years that Vermont has extended eligibility for expungement. On May 29, Colorado Governor Hickenlooper signed a bill extending the state's existing authority for sentencing courts to waive application of collateral consequences affecting employment, licensing, and other opportunities and benefits, to make this relief available in all cases regardless of sentence.  Previously this waiver authority was available only in cases involving a community-based penalty.  Courts are authorized to take action as early as sentencing and throughout the period an individual is under sentence.  In this respect, the law resembles the authority proposed by the American Law Institute in the collateral consequences provisions of its new Mode Penal Code: Sentencing.  The Colorado law is described in detail in the Colorado profile from the Restoration of Rights Project. At the end of May, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards approved several "second chance" bills:  One new law extends voting rights to anyone under sentence for a felony who has not been actually incarcerated in the past five years; two additional laws make minor adjustments to the state expungement law, to exempt deferred adjudication cases from the 15-year eligibility waiting period for a second expungement, and to add to the requirements for filing an expungement motion.  Another new law requires the governor to conduct regular periodic reviews of the standards applied by occupational licensing agencies.  As finally enacted, this last-mentioned law substantially watered down provisions in earlier versions of the legislation that would have limited agency consideration of criminal records in licensing actions. Earlier this spring, Wyoming enacted a new provision of its general state licensing code establishing a "direct relationship" standard for consideration of conviction by all licensing agencies not otherwise subject to a specific contrary statutory standard. See Wyo. Stat. § 33-1-304.  See Enrolled Act 63 (March 2018), available at http://www.wyoleg.gov/2018/Enroll/SF0042.pdf.  This provision prohibits consideration of prior convictions that are more than 20 years old, except where the person is still under sentence or the sentence was completed fewer than 10 years ago, and unless the elements of the offense are "directly related to the specific duties and responsibilities of that profession or occupation."  Among the new law's policies is that agencies should ensure that applicants have an adequate opportunity to appeal a denial. Wyoming also amended more than a dozen specific professional and occupational licensing statutes to rescind vague qualifications like "good moral character," and to substitute functional criteria specifically tying the nature of a particular crime to the licensed activity pursuant to a direct relationship standard.  Licensing schemes affected include those regulating teachers, guides and outfitters, engineers, veterinarians, and nursing home administrators.  Licensing standards for chiropractors, nurses, optometrists, dental hygienists, social workers, and marriage and family counselors and substance abuse counselors were also amended.  Securities dealers and investment advisers, insurance agents, and athlete agents are covered by the reforms. Legislatures in several other states have passed bills that are currently awaiting approval of the governor, including Illinois, New Hampshire, and Tennessee.  The only "second chance" legislation we know of that was disapproved by the governor is the South Carolina legislature's unsuccessful attempt to authorize expungement of drug convictions. We expect again to provide a summary of all new laws enacted in 2018 toward the end of the year, and we will also be keeping the state profiles and other resources in the Restoration of Rights Project up to date in real time.      
  • New research report: Four Years of Second Chance Reforms, 2013-2016 (2/8/2017) - Introduction Since 2013, almost every state has taken at least some steps to chip away at the negative effects of a criminal record on an individual’s ability to earn a living, access housing, education and public benefits, and otherwise fully participate in civil society.  It has not been an easy task, in part because of the volume and complexity of state and federal laws imposing collateral consequences.  To encourage employers and other decision-makers to give convicted individuals a fair chance, some states have enacted or modified judicial restoration mechanisms like expungement, sealing, and certificates of relief.  Others have extended nondiscrimination laws, limited criminal record inquiries, and facilitated front-end opportunities to avoid conviction. In partnership with the NACDL Restoration of Rights Project, the CCRC maintains a comprehensive and current state-by-state guide to mechanisms for restoration of rights and status after conviction.  As a part of keeping that resource up to date, we have inventoried measures enacted and policies adopted by states in the past four years to mitigate or avoid the disabling effects of a criminal record, and present it here as a snapshot of an encouraging national trend. Summary of findings Between 2013 and 2016, forty-two states and the District of Columbia adopted significant reforms of various types.  The most common of these reforms are ban-the-box laws and policies that prohibit employers from inquiring into an applicant’s criminal history during the initial stages of the application process.  Twenty-one states banned the box in public employment, and eight (CT, DC, IL, MN, NJ, OR, RI, and VT) expanded their ban-the-box prohibitions to cover private employers as well. Expungement and sealing authorities were also expanded in a significant number of states. Arkansas, Indiana, and Minnesota enacted comprehensive new expungement/sealing schemes that grant many individuals an opportunity to have their records sealed from public view and/or rights restored for the first time.  Additionally, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri all expanded existing expungement/sealing laws to make certain felonies eligible.  Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota enacted entirely new authorities limiting public access to misdemeanor records. Another fifteen states expanded existing expungement or sealing opportunities, either to increase the number and type of eligible offenses and dispositions, or to broaden the protections afforded to, or rights restored by, an expunged or sealed record. Unfortunately, stiff filing fees in states like Louisiana and Kentucky will inevitably discourage people of limited means from taking advantage of these new authorities. Judicial and/or administrative “certificates of relief” were also made available in nine states for the first time. These certificates adhere to a “forgiving,” as opposed to “forgetting,” model of criminal record mitigation. The new certificates with the broadest application and effect are those in Ohio and Vermont, both of which are modeled after provisions in the Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act (UCCCA) that authorize courts to completely remove specified mandatory collateral consequences imposed by law, allowing individuals to be considered for employment or licensing opportunities on the merits. Colorado's new "order of collateral relief" provides relief from mandatory consequences specified in the order, with exceptions, but is only available for non-prison sentences. The new certificate authorities in most other states either protect employers and/or other private entities from negligent hiring or retention claims based solely upon their agent’s conviction, or prohibit employers or licensing bodies from denying applicants “based solely upon” their conviction.  The effect or availability of pre-existing certificate authorities were expanded in another three states. Another notable trend was the expansion of the effect and availability of deferred adjudication and diversion mechanisms, which allow individuals to avoid conviction altogether following successful completion of probation or other conditions. Five states (AL, CA, DE, GA, NJ) enacted legislation explicitly authorizing expungement or sealing of deferred adjudication records for the first time, while Colorado and Illinois enacted entirely new deferred adjudication authority.  These programs provide a great benefit to those who can take advantage of them, but, in many states, prosecutorial control of these programs can result in disparate treatment and costly relief. >>View the full report below or download here<<