PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to allow an individual who has never been convicted of a felony - and has stayed out of trouble for at least a decade - to get up to five misdemeanors expunged from his or her criminal record.
In a letter delivered to state lawmakers on Tuesday, Kilmartin said the bill that Sen. Harold Metts, D-Providence, introduced at his request, "seeks to provide relief to individuals with minor infractions in their youth, but have since rehabilitated and turned their lives around.''
His proposal would not apply to domestic violence and driving under the influence cases, where repeat offenses lead to enhanced penalties.
State law already allows the expungement of a single nonviolent offense from the record of a first-time offender five years after he or she has completed a sentence for a misdemeanor, or 10 years after completing a sentence for a felony.
But Killmartin objected to another Metts bill to expunge the records of more "serious crimes,'' such as extortion, witness intimidation and assault with a dangerous weapon, that took place at least 20 years ago.
Among his reasons: "Employers should have the right to be aware of the history of an applicant.''