This law defines the process and scope of sealing criminal records in Virginia, including arrests, charges, and convictions, to restrict public access. It specifies what records can be sealed, who can access them, and the procedures for sealing either by court order or automatically. The law aims to protect individuals' privacy and facilitate their rehabilitation by limiting public disclosure of certain criminal records.
Sealing a criminal record means restricting public access to records related to arrests, charges, or convictions, making them generally unavailable to the public.
Individuals can petition the court for sealing their records, or records may be sealed automatically by law under specific circumstances.
Records related to arrests, charges, convictions, and ancillary matters such as violations of probation or failure to appear can be sealed.
Yes, sealed records can be accessed by authorized agencies for specific purposes as outlined in Virginia law, but are generally protected from public disclosure.