LANSING, Mich. — An estimated 1 million Michiganians will have certain misdemeanor and felony records automatically expunged or set aside starting Tuesday as the state begins to implement the final step in a 2020 law designed to give residents a "clean slate."
On Tuesday morning, Michigan State Police will begin running software it's built over the last two years to sort through the state's criminal history database to determine which felonies and misdemeanors should be automatically expunged or set aside under the 2020 law and alert courts to those cases.
The automatic expungement law will set aside certain misdemeanors after a seven-year, post-sentencing waiting period and certain non-assaultive felony convictions after a 10-year, post-sentence completion waiting period. Eligible convictions that are expected to be expunged include misdemeanor marijuana offenses for possession and use of the drug that became legal for adult recreational purposes in 2018.
