Learn How to Remove a Prior Conviction From Your Record!

  • Do you have a prior criminal conviction?
    You may be eligible to have it expunged.
  • What is an expungement?
    Expungement is “the process by which a record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed from state or federal record.” (American Bar Association)
  • Is your conviction preventing you from finding a job or starting a career?
    The Clean Slate law makes it possible for more people to petition for an expungement. As a result, you can legally state that you have never been convicted or arrested for that crime on job, school, and/or housing applications. This can help you find full-time employment and create financial stability for you and your family.
  • If you qualify, Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! can help you expunge a prior conviction!

The Expungement Process

  1. Complete the registration form and email the front and back of a government-issued ID to cleanslateup@upmichiganworks.org.
  1. Clean Slate UP Navigators will pull an initial Michigan background check and consult with an attorney on eligibility for expungement.
  1. Once determined eligible, you will need to:
    1. Get fingerprinted (Michigan State police posts offer this as a free service – call ahead to schedule.)
    2. Gather certified convictions from the court of conviction.
  1. You will meet with a Clean Slate UP Navigator to complete the Application to Set Aside Conviction. You will then need to sign the application in front of a notary.
  1. You will provide a $50 money order or cashier’s check payable to “State of Michigan” so a full criminal history can be pulled (federal, state, tribal, and previously expunged records).
  1. Be Patient. The Navigator and Attorney will send off all the forms and once they are processed you will receive a hearing date in the court where conviction occurred. A virtual hearing may be possible, though you should be prepared to travel to the court where the conviction occurred.
  1. You attend the hearing, and expungement is decided by the judge hearing the case.
Click here to begin the registration

FAQ

The Clean Slate UP program is an Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! program designed to help Upper Peninsula residents get their criminal records expunged which, in turn, may lead to access to better jobs, housing and educational opportunities. Clean Slate UP will cover the standard attorney fees associated with expungement and gives you a team of navigators in your corner as you navigate the process.

Up to three felonies and any number of misdemeanors, with certain conditions on the types of offenses that qualify.

  • No more than two assaultive crimes may be expunged (no expungement available if there was use of a deadly weapon).
  • No more than one felony conviction for the same offense if the offense is punishable by more than 10 years imprisonment.

The waiting period to apply after a person’s monitoring by the justice system ends (i.e. sentencing, probation, release from incarceration, parole, whichever occurred last) if they remain conviction-free. The waiting period will be:

  • Three years for misdemeanors
  • Five years for serious misdemeanors or one felony
  • Seven years for multiple felonies

Multiple felonies or misdemeanors arising from the same 24-hour period are treated as one conviction for the purposes of expungement.

Misdemeanor marijuana possession and use that would not have been considered crimes after recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan must still go through the expungement process.

  • Federal, tribal or out-of-state convictions (only qualifying convictions in a Michigan state court are eligible for expungement through Clean Slate UP)
  • Criminal Sexual Conduct convictions
  • Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Operating While Intoxicated (OWI)
  • Child Abuse
  • Traffic offenses that cause injury or death
  • Commercial Driver License violations

Complete the registration form, submit your ID and a Clean Slate Navigator will be in touch with you.

The process may take 3-6 months or longer. It is important to remember that, though clients are eager to have their expungement cases heard, the expungement process will take time, commitment and patience.

Clean Slate UP will cover the bulk of expungement costs that has made it prohibitive for many people in the past. The client is responsible for fingerprints, a certified copy of each conviction requested for expungement and a $50 money order or cashier’s check made payable to the “State of Michigan.”