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The Legal Aid Society can assist with wrongful convictions and the sealing of past criminal records.
The Wrongful Conviction Unit was created to address the population of prisoners who have exhausted all avenues of relief and are still fighting for their freedom and to clear their names of crimes they did not commit.
The Case Closed Project helps people clear their criminal records. There are many record sealing and expungement options in New York State. Learn more about your options here.
The Exploitation Intervention Project works with trafficking survivors to help them vacate criminal convictions related to their trafficking and seal the records of those arrests. If you were convicted of a criminal offense as a result of having been sex or labor trafficked, you may be eligible to have your record sealed.
Wrongful Convictions If you are innocent and have exhausted all appeals for a conviction in New York City, write to The Wrongful Conviction Unit and request our questionnaire to be considered for representation:
The Wrongful Conviction Unit c/o The Legal Aid Society 199 Water Street New York, NY 10038
Or email: wcu@legal-aid.org
Clemency Individuals who believe they qualify for clemency should apply online with the Governor’s Office. The site contains instructions and forms for applying for commutations and pardons.
Sealing Criminal Records To find out if you are eligible to have a criminal record cleared call 212-298-3120 or email CaseClosed@legal-aid.org.
Clearing Trafficking-Related Convictions To find out if you are eligible to have your trafficking-related convictions vacated and the records sealed please complete our online intake form.
Clean Slate is a new law that will automatically seal conviction records for more than 2.3 million New Yorkers.
Set The Records Straight is a project designed to ensure that juvenile delinquency arrest-related records are treated confidentially and that youth arrested for juvenile delinquencies do not face unlawful discrimination by employers, schools, and law enforcement agencies.
Having a criminal record can prevent you from accessing jobs, licensing, housing and educational opportunities long after you have completed your sentence.
Getting your record sealed, vacated, or expunged can help to lift some of those barriers so that you can fully participate in your community and support yourself and your family.
These are the current record clearance laws in New York.
Marijuana Legalization in New York is effective as of March 31, 2021. This document answers many of the questions you may have about the new law.
Under New York’s 2021 legalization law, hundreds of thousands of marijuana convictions were automatically expunged. You will get this benefit if you were convicted of possessing up to 16 oz or selling up to 25 grams.
There is nothing that you need to do to make this happen. It is free and automatic.
On February 2, 2021, the New York legislature repealed the loitering for the purposes of prostitution statute, commonly called the “Walking While Trans Ban.” This means loitering for the purposes of prostitution is no longer a criminal offense in New York, and the records of past convictions should have been sealed automatically.
Under a recent New York State law (CPL § 160.59), some people may be able to get their criminal convictions sealed. Here’s what you should know about the new sealing law and the sealing process.
Under a recent New York State law (CPL § 160.59), some people may be able to get their criminal convictions sealed. Here’s what you should know after your conviction has been sealed.
In New York City, most employers are not allowed to deny you a job, suspend you, or fire you because of a pending arrest or criminal conviction unless there’s a direct connection between the work and the offense or giving you the job or license would involve an unreasonable risk to people or property. Here’s what you should know to prevent wrongful discrimination.
The justice system can be overwhelming. Get familiar with some legal terms and acronyms you might hear like appeal, adjournment, petition, jurisdiction, deposition, and affidavit.