Happy family

Find a legal form in minutes

Browse US Legal Forms’ largest database of 85k state and industry-specific legal forms.

Maine Expungement Law

Expungement of Criminal Records – General – Maine

1.  What is an expungement?

The process of legally destroying, obliterating or striking out records or information in files, computers and other depositories relating to criminal charges.

2.  Do the records just “disappear”?

No. In Maine, records of juveniles may be sealed, as opposed to being expunged. The records cannot be accessed for general civil use.

3.  What records may be sealed?

All records pertaining to the juvenile crime and its disposition, and to any prior juvenile records and their dispositions. 15 M.R.S.A. § 3308.

4.  Who is eligible for having records sealed?

A person adjudicated to have committed a juvenile crime if (1) at least 3 years have passed since the person’s discharge from the disposition for that juvenile crime, (2) since the date of disposition, the person has not been judged to have committed a juvenile crime and has not been convicted of committing a crime; and (3) there are no current adjudicatory proceedings pending for a juvenile or other crime.
The court may grant the petition if it finds that the requirements of above are satisfied, unless it finds that the general public’s right to information substantially outweighs the juvenile’s interest in privacy. 15 M.R.S.A. § 3308.

5.  How do I get records sealed?

A juvenile who meets the above requirements may petition the court having jurisdiction over the records for an order to seal those records. 15 M.R.S.A. § 3308.


Inside Maine Expungement Law