DELAWARE CRIMINAL DEFENSE SERIES: GUIDE TO EXPUNGEMENT, CERTIFICATE OF RELIEF, AND THE PARDON (DELAWARE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEFENSE SERIES)

An estimated 290,000 Delaware residents carry criminal records eligible for expungement that have never been cleared. This handbook puts the law in their hands.Delaware Criminal Records: A Complete Guide to Expungement, the Certificate of Relief, and the Pardon is the definitive plain-language guide to every form of criminal record relief available under Delaware law. Written for people who do not have a lawyer, it covers the complete legal framework from first principles through completed filings, with every address, phone number, filing fee, and court procedure printed in full.Delaware has one of the most comprehensive record relief systems in the United States: mandatory expungement, discretionary expungement, the Clean Slate automated expungement law, the Certificate of Relief, the Governor's pardon, and post-pardon expungement under Section 4374A. These tools are real. They work. Most eligible people do not know they exist. This handbook closes that gap.This handbook covers how to obtain and read your Delaware criminal history record from the SBI, step by step, by mail, without a computer. It covers the complete mandatory expungement framework for dismissed charges, acquittals, diversions, and qualifying misdemeanor convictions. It covers the complete discretionary expungement framework for felony convictions, disqualifying misdemeanors, rehabilitation narratives, and Attorney General objection responses. It covers the Clean Slate Act and what to do if your eligible record has not been automatically cleared. It covers what cannot be expunged and the three alternative pathways for permanently ineligible convictions.It covers the Certificate of Relief, available immediately after conviction for every Delaware offense with no waiting period. It covers the Governor's pardon, the complete Board of Pardons application and hearing process, and post-pardon expungement. It covers employer obligations under the Applicant Fairness Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and housing rights and criminal record discrimination in Delaware.It covers juvenile records and expungement under Title 10 including the 2025 amendments. It covers currently incarcerated persons planning for release, young adults with juvenile and adult records, non-citizens facing immigration consequences, and people with federal convictions seeking federal record relief including the First Step Act and presidential pardon. A complete final chapter covers navigating the entire system without a lawyer, with a Master Action Checklist from first record request to full relief.Ten appendices include the Master Eligibility Decision Chart, complete statutory text, sample petition forms and templates, waiting period reference table, glossary of key terms, complete court directory, permanently ineligible offense list, background check company dispute addresses, professional licensing board directory, and LAND's complete legislative reform recommendations.Every step in this handbook can be completed by mail without internet access. Every address and phone number needed to complete any proceeding is printed in full. Persons currently incarcerated may receive a copy without charge by writing to LAND at P.O. Box 2812, 1500 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware 19805.Published by the Legal Advocacy Network for Delaware, a nonprofit legal advocacy and document services organization based in Wilmington, Delaware. LAND provides eligibility assessments, petition preparation, and record relief document services by mail. There are no income requirements for LAND services.This handbook is published for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change. Verify current statutory provisions before filing any document in any court. Read more