Section 2151.358. Expungement of sealed records

(A) The juvenile court shall expunge all records sealed under section 2151.356 of the Revised Code five years after the court issues a sealing order or upon the twenty-third birthday of the person who is the subject of the sealing order, whichever date is earlier.

(B) Notwithstanding division (A) of this section, upon application by the person who has had a record sealed under section 2151.356 of the Revised Code, the juvenile court may expunge a record sealed under section 2151.356 of the Revised Code. In making the determination whether to expunge records, all of the following apply:

(1) The court may require a person filing an application for expungement to submit any relevant documentation to support the application.

(2) The court may cause an investigation to be made to determine if the person who is the subject of the proceedings has been rehabilitated to a satisfactory degree.

(3) The court shall promptly notify the prosecuting attorney of any proceedings to expunge records.

(4)

(a) The prosecuting attorney may file a response with the court within thirty days of receiving notice of the expungement proceedings.

(b) If the prosecuting attorney does not file a response with the court or if the prosecuting attorney files a response but indicates that the prosecuting attorney does not object to the expungement of the records, the court may order the records of the person that are under consideration to be expunged without conducting a hearing on the application. If the court decides in its discretion to conduct a hearing on the application, the court shall conduct the hearing within thirty days after making that decision and shall give notice, by regular mail, of the date, time, and location of the hearing to the prosecuting attorney and to the person who is the subject of the records under consideration.

(c) If the prosecuting attorney files a response with the court that indicates that the prosecuting attorney objects to the expungement of the records, the court shall conduct a hearing on the application within thirty days after the court receives the response. The court shall give notice, by regular mail, of the date, time, and location of the hearing to the prosecuting attorney and to the person who is the subject of the records under consideration.

(5) After conducting a hearing in accordance with division (B)(4) of this section or after due consideration when a hearing is not conducted, the court may order the records of the person that are the subject of the application to be expunged if it finds that the person has been rehabilitated to a satisfactory degree. In determining whether the person has been rehabilitated to a satisfactory degree, the court may consider all of the following:

(a) The age of the person;

(b) The nature of the case;

(c) The cessation or continuation of delinquent, unruly, or criminal behavior;

(d) The education and employment history of the person;

(e) Any other circumstances that may relate to the rehabilitation of the person who is the subject of the records under consideration.

(C) If the juvenile court is notified by any party in a civil action that a civil action has been filed based on a case the records for which are the subject of a sealing order, the juvenile court shall not expunge a record sealed under section 2151.356 of the Revised Code until the civil action has been resolved and is not subject to further appellate review, at which time the records shall be expunged pursuant to division (A) of this section.

(D)

(1) A juvenile court that issues a protection order or approves a consent agreement under section 2151.34 or 3113.31 of the Revised Code shall automatically seal all of the records of the proceeding in which the order was issued or agreement approved on the date the person against whom the protection order was issued or the consent agreement approved attains the age of nineteen years if the court determines that the person has complied with all of the terms of the protection order or consent agreement.

(2) In a proceeding under section 2151.34 of the Revised Code, if the juvenile court does not issue any protection order under division (E) of that section, the court shall automatically seal all of the records in that proceeding. In a proceeding under section 3113.31 of the Revised Code, if the juvenile court does not issue any protection order or approve any consent agreement under division (E) of that section, the court shall automatically seal all of the records in that proceeding.

(3)

(a) If a juvenile court that issues a protection order or approves a consent agreement under section 2151.34 or 3113.31 of the Revised Code determines that the person against whom the protection order was issued or the consent agreement approved has not complied with all of the terms of the protection order or consent agreement, the court shall consider sealing all of the records of the proceeding in which the order was issued or agreement approved upon the court's own motion or upon the application of a person. The court may make the motion or the person who is the subject of the records under consideration may apply for an order sealing the records of the proceeding at any time after two years after the expiration of the protection order or consent agreement.

(b) In making a determination whether to seal records pursuant to division (D)(3) of this section, all of the following apply:

(i) The court may require a person filing an application under division (D)(3) of this section to submit any relevant documentation to support the application.

(ii) The court shall promptly notify the victim or the victim's attorney of any proceedings to seal records initiated pursuant to division (D)(3) of this section.

(iii) The victim or the victim's attorney may file a response with the court within thirty days of receiving notice of the sealing proceedings.

If the victim or the victim's attorney does not file a response with the court or if the victim or the victim's attorney files a response but indicates that the victim or the victim's attorney does not object to the sealing of the records, the court may order the records of the person that are under consideration to be sealed without conducting a hearing on the motion or application. If the court decides in its discretion to conduct a hearing on the motion or application, the court shall conduct the hearing within thirty days after making that decision and shall give notice, by regular mail, of the date, time, and location of the hearing to the victim or the victim's attorney and to the person who is the subject of the records under consideration.

If the victim or the victim's attorney files a response with the court that indicates that the victim or the victim's attorney objects to the sealing of the records, the court shall conduct a hearing on the motion or application within thirty days after the court receives the response. The court shall give notice, by regular mail, of the date, time, and location of the hearing to the victim or the victim's attorney and to the person who is the subject of the records under consideration.

(iv) After conducting a hearing in accordance with division (D)(3)(b)(iii) of this section or after due consideration when a hearing is not conducted, the court may order the records of the person that are the subject of the motion or application to be sealed.

(4) Inspection of the records sealed pursuant to division (D)(1), (2), or (3) of this section may be made only by the following persons or for the following purposes:

(a) By a law enforcement officer or prosecutor, or the assistants of either, to determine whether the nature and character of the offense with which a person is to be charged would be affected by virtue of the person's previously having been convicted of a crime;

(b) By the parole or probation officer of the person who is the subject of the records, for the exclusive use of the officer in supervising the person while on parole or under a community control sanction or a post-release control sanction, and in making inquiries and written reports as requested by the court or adult parole authority;

(c) Upon application by the person who is the subject of the records, by the persons named in the application;

(d) By a law enforcement officer who was involved in the case, for use in the officer's defense of a civil action arising out of the officer's involvement in that case;

(e) By a prosecuting attorney or the prosecuting attorney's assistants, to determine a defendant's eligibility to enter a pre-trial diversion program established pursuant to section 2935.36 of the Revised Code;

(f) By any law enforcement agency or any authorized employee of a law enforcement agency or by the department of rehabilitation and correction as part of a background investigation of a person who applies for employment with the agency as a law enforcement officer or with the department as a corrections officer;

(g) By any law enforcement agency or any authorized employee of a law enforcement agency, for the purposes set forth in, and in the manner provided in, section 2953.321 of the Revised Code;

(h) By the bureau of criminal identification and investigation or any authorized employee of the bureau for the purpose of providing information to a board or person pursuant to division (F) or (G) of section 109.57 of the Revised Code;

(i) By the bureau of criminal identification and investigation or any authorized employee of the bureau for the purpose of performing a criminal history records check on a person to whom a certificate as prescribed in section 109.77 of the Revised Code is to be awarded;

(j) By the bureau of criminal identification and investigation or any authorized employee of the bureau for the purpose of conducting a criminal records check of an individual pursuant to division (B) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code that was requested pursuant to any of the sections identified in division (B)(1) of that section;

(k) By the bureau of criminal identification and investigation, an authorized employee of the bureau, a sheriff, or an authorized employee of a sheriff in connection with a criminal records check described in section 311.41 of the Revised Code;

(l) By the attorney general or an authorized employee of the attorney general or a court for purposes of determining a person's classification pursuant to Chapter 2950. of the Revised Code.

When the nature and character of the offense with which a person is to be charged would be affected by the information, it may be used for the purpose of charging the person with an offense.

(E) In addition to the methods of expungement provided for in divisions (A) and (B) of this section, a person who has been adjudicated a delinquent child for having committed an act that would be a violation of section 2907.24, 2907.241, or 2907.25 of the Revised Code if the child were an adult may apply to the adjudicating court for the expungement of the record of adjudication if the person's participation in the act was a result of the person having been a victim of human trafficking. The application shall be made in the same manner as an application for expungement under section 2953.38 of the Revised Code, and all of the provisions of that section shall apply to the expungement procedure.

(F) After the records have been expunged under this section, the person who is the subject of the expunged records properly may, and the court shall, reply that no record exists with respect to the person upon any inquiry in the matter.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.142, HB 262, §1, eff. 6/27/2012.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.21, HB 10, §1, eff. 6/17/2010.

Effective Date: 07-11-2006