Sealing Criminal Records to Enhance Justice
Prosecutors are ministers of justice. Therefore, it is our legal and ethical responsibility to help people who have paid their debt to society to remove the scarlet letter of a criminal conviction and the barriers it creates to accessing jobs, housing, education and other necessities in life. In this spirit, we are partnering with the Washington County Attorney’s Office to ensure our residents have access to justice after they’ve completed their sentence by proactively helping people seal their criminal records at no cost to them. - Ramsey County Attorney John Choi
According to the FBI, nearly one in three adults in America has a criminal record. Long after people have atoned for the harm they caused and fulfilled their obligations to the justice system, criminal records and the collateral consequences that follow serve as barriers to jobs, housing, education and more, preventing people from serving as productive members of our community. Studies have shown very few people who are eligible to seal their records successfully apply, but among those whose records are sealed, very few commit new crimes and, on average, they experience a significant increase in wages and employment within the next two years.
Is your criminal record a barrier in your life?
We may be able to help you get it sealed.
If you have a criminal record for an offense that was prosecuted by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, we can help you determine if you qualify for expungement. If you qualify, we can help you get your record sealed by the Court at no cost to you.
Sealing, or expunging, a criminal record can make it easier for you to obtain housing, get a job and certain types of job-related licenses.