 Expungement means to ask the courts to get rid of a charge or arrest on your record.  Usually it is for first time offenders, but it is up to the judge’s discretion whether or not it’s expunged.  The waiting time for misdemeanors is 5 years.  The waiting time for felonies is 10 years.

 After you receive a copy of your BCI report, take it to the Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket to get the court documents.  Go to the clerk’s office at the court where the charges were filed and file a motion to expunge.  The clerk will give you a court date and three copies of the motion. Each of the following receives a copy. ◦ The defendant ◦ The BCI division ◦ The arresting police department

 The motion is brought before the judge  If he grants the motion ◦ The order granted paperwork is filed ◦ Payment of $100 unless the charges were dismissed. ◦ The copies are disbursed again to  The defendant  BCI  The arresting police department

 Once the motion is granted, the expungement specialist looks up the docket in banner.  Once she sees that it was expunged, she goes into RICH and changes the report for that individual.  The FBI gets notified after everything is done in BCI so that they can expunge the FBI number and national record for that particular crime.