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Do you have old fines or fees on a criminal case in Washington State? They have a heck of a lot of consequences beyond just your credit score and are often the thing standing in the way of being able to vacate your case. New laws are in place forgiving some old fines.
In a significant stride towards a more inclusive voting process, Washington State has just rolled out a progressive reform. Now, if you’ve wrapped up your custody sentence – be it in prison or jail – and you happen to have a felony conviction on your record, here’s your green light. You’re eligible to register and exercise your right to vote. Spread the word far and wide to all those impacted by this transformative change. It’s time for every voice, past notwithstanding, to play a role in shaping the future of our democracy. So, if you’re a Washingtonian with a felony conviction and currently not behind bars, make your mark on those ballots. Let’s amplify the impact of this reform!
If you’ve been told in the past that you’re not eligible to vacate your Washington State criminal record, it’s worth taking another look. Significant changes in the law in the past 3-5 years have expanded eligibility, and you may now be able to vacate your record even if you were not eligible before. In this blog post, I’ll discuss these changes and what they mean for you.
In the past, eligibility for vacating a criminal record in Washington State was limited to certain case types, and there were logistical and financial restrictions that made it difficult for some individuals to vacate their records. Additionally, if you had multiple convictions, you were often only able to vacate one of them.
However, in the past few years, there have been significant changes to the law that have made it easier for individuals to vacate their criminal records. For example, you can now vacate multiple case types, and there are fewer logistical and financial restrictions. Additionally, if you have multiple convictions, you may now be able to vacate more than one of them.
These changes mean that even if you were not eligible to vacate your criminal record in the past, you may now meet the requirements. If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, it’s worth seeking the help of an experienced expungement attorney. As a Washington State expungement attorney, I can review your case and help you understand your options.
In conclusion, significant changes in the law have made it easier for individuals to vacate their criminal records in Washington State. If you’ve been told in the past that you’re not eligible, it’s worth taking another look to see if you now meet the requirements. Contact my office at (206) 222-8829 to learn more about the changes in the law and how they may impact your eligibility to vacate your criminal record.
Gen X got a bad deal when it comes to criminal records. One thing I have noticed in my practice is that people born in the 70s and late 60s did not seem to get as fair of a shake when it comes to criminal records. I think there are a few things at play: the combination of record really sticking and lasting in the information era combined with the really tough on crime policies from the 80s and 90s.
When I pull a lot of 90s cases, I don’t see deals. I see really harsh mandatory sentences. I see $30,000 restitution bills. It wasn’t a terribly empathetic period. The combination of youthfulness, the permanency of criminal records, as well as the attitude in time that we really need to be tough on crime has led to people not only being significantly punished at the time but not being able to shake the punishment of their criminal record.
The good news is that most of those cases are eligible to be expunged, vacated, or sealed. Even cases that have an outstanding financial obligation, those $30,000 restitution bills, if it was before the year 2000, that is the cutoff then even the finds are forgivable. I’ve also found that prosecutors and judges are really showing a lot more kindness and empathy especially in terms of those really disproportionately severe sentences.
Marijuana has been in the news again with President Biden’s recent pardon of marijuana cases and those people with a marijuana criminal record might want to know how that may impact them. So the kind of ironic twinge to it is that most possession of marijuana crimes, simple possession of marijuana crimes would not be federal because federal involves the commerce between states. So, the federal marijuana pardon is not going to apply to state cases where the majority of simple arrests for possession happen.
However, Washington, a couple years back did our own version of that and now all marijuana offenses are eligible to vacated as long as they are possession based. Also, most drug offenses for drugs more serious than marijuana are eligible to vacated without the normal hoops that come with it based on as similar process that happened in our state. So, if you are wondering about your marijuana or drug conviction in Washington State, pleases feel free to give my office a call. (206) 222-8829.
Do you have a criminal record that is holding you back? Have your been arrested for something and even though you were not convicted, it keeps coming up preventing you from travel, school, work opportunities. My name is Stefanie Dorn, and I am an expungement lawyer here to help you.
We know that the punishments from the criminal justice system do not stop at sentencing and new laws have passed that make it even easier to vacate your criminal conviction or expunge your arrest. This can help you with your job, your certifications and licenses, and moving forward from something in life that you are ready to get past. I’m an experienced expungement attorney. I’ve handled hundreds of these cases, I like the intricacies, and results I can get for my clients.
Please contact the Law Office of Stefanie Dorn today to learn more or to schedule a consultation.
Office Location
The Law Office of Stefanie Dorn
1700 7th Avenue Suite 2100, Seattle, WA, 98101, US
(206) 222-8829