Clear your Rhode Island record.

You qualify as a first offender if this is your only conviction. It can be a felony or a misdemeanor. You must never have been convicted or put on probation before. You also qualify with two to five misdemeanors and no felony. That door is closed for domestic violence, driving under the influence and refusing a chemical test. A crime of violence cannot be expunged. For a misdemeanor, you wait five years after your sentence ends. For a felony, you wait ten. For several misdemeanors, you wait ten years after the last one ends. A deferred sentence can be expunged once you complete it. An offense that is no longer a crime has no wait once your sentence is complete.

You file the motion in the court that convicted you. You must give the Attorney General and the police ten days' notice of the hearing. The court decides after the hearing. It may grant the motion if you had no arrest or conviction during the wait. You must have no case pending. Any court money you owe must be paid or waived. You must have shown good moral character. The court must also find you rehabilitated. The expungement must serve the public interest.

Once the record is expunged, the law frees you from the penalties of the conviction. On a job or license form, or as a witness, you may say you were never convicted of it. There are five exceptions. You must still disclose it to apply for a law enforcement job, the bar, a teaching or coaching certificate, or an early childhood education job. If you are sentenced for a later crime, the court may count the old conviction.

Some cases are sealed with no motion. A case dismissed under District Court Rule 48(a) since 2023 is sealed by the court within twenty days. A Rule 48(a) case dismissed before 2023 is sealed by the clerk when you ask. For any other acquittal or dismissal, you file a motion. The same notice and hearing apply. If a marijuana possession is no longer a crime, that record is expunged on its own.