Contact the Connecticut Pardon Team Inc. 860- 823 1571
🧾 1. Automatic Erasure (No Application Needed)
Connecticut law automatically erases records in certain situations:
✔️ If your case was:
- Dismissed
- Nolled (not prosecuted) → erased after 13 months
- You were found not guilty (acquitted)
- The law was later changed (decriminalized offense)
👉 In these cases, you don’t need to file anything—the record is erased by law.
Once erased, it’s as if the arrest or charge never happened.
⚖️ 2. “Expungement” Through an Absolute Pardon
For convictions, Connecticut does NOT have traditional expungement like some states. Instead:
You must apply for an Absolute Pardon
- Granted by the Board of Pardons and Paroles
- If approved → your record is completely erased
📌 Key waiting periods:
- 3 years after a misdemeanor
- 5 years after a felony
📌 Effect:
- Your record is erased as if it never existed
- Even law enforcement cannot access it
🔄 3. Connecticut “Clean Slate” Law (Automatic Expungement)
This is a newer law that’s a big deal.
✔️ Automatically erases certain convictions after time passes:
- 7 years → most misdemeanors
- 10 years → certain low-level felonies
- Must remain crime-free during that time
❌ Not eligible:
- Family violence offenses
- Sex offenses
- Some serious crimes
👉 This happens automatically once you qualify—no application required.
🧑⚖️ 4. Other Forms of Record Relief
Even if full erasure isn’t possible, Connecticut offers:
- Provisional pardon / Certificate of Employability
- Helps with jobs and licenses
- Does NOT erase the record
- Juvenile record erasure
- Often easier to clear than adult records
⚠️ Important Things to Know
- Not all crimes are eligible for erasure
- The pardon process is discretionary (not guaranteed)
- Clean Slate only applies to certain non-violent, lower-level offenses
- Once erased, you can legally say you have no criminal record
💡 Simple Way to Think About It
- No conviction? → erased automatically
- Old minor conviction? → may be erased automatically (Clean Slate)
- Other convictions? → apply for a pardon
🧾 Step 1: Make Sure You’re Eligible
Before applying, check your waiting period:
- 3 years after finishing all terms for a misdemeanor
- 5 years after finishing all terms for a felony
“Finished” means:
- Jail/probation done
- All fines paid
- No pending cases
🌐 Step 2: Create an Online Account
You apply online through the state portal:
- Go to the ePardon system (Connecticut’s official application site)
- Create an account and log in
This is where everything gets submitted.
✍️ Step 3: Complete the Application
You’ll be asked for:
Basic info
- Personal details
- Full criminal history (be honest, they check everything)
Personal statement (very important)
This is your chance to explain:
- What happened
- What you’ve done since
- Why you deserve a second chance
👉 Keep it real, take responsibility, and show growth.
📎 Step 4: Upload Supporting Documents
This is where strong applications stand out.
Helpful documents include:
- Proof of employment
- Certificates (school, training, programs)
- Letters of recommendation (employers, community members)
- Anything showing rehabilitation
💵 Step 5: Pay the Fee
- $75 for Criminal History Record application fee. This requires fingerprints and contains the docket numbers for offenses
Non-refundable. Fingerprints will most likely require a fee that varies. - There is no fee for the actual pardon application.
⏳ Step 6: Review Process
After you submit:
Two possible paths:
✅ Expedited Review (no hearing)
- For less serious cases
- Decision based on your paperwork only
🧑⚖️ Full Hearing
- You appear (virtual via Zoom)
- You’ll answer questions about your past and progress
🏁 Step 7: Decision
If approved:
🎉 Absolute Pardon
- Your record is erased completely
- It’s like it never happened
If denied:
- You can reapply later (usually after 1 year)
💡 What They’re REALLY Looking For
This matters more than anything:
- Time since offense
- No new trouble
- Stable work history
- Accountability (no excuses)
- Evidence you’ve changed
Think: “Why should we trust you now?”
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving things out (they will find it)
- Rushing the personal statement
- Not including supporting documents
- Applying too early
❤️ Real Talk
A lot of people feel intimidated by this process, but the Board actually wants to grant pardons when people show real change. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to show growth and consistency.