Arguably one of the most significant developments in recent Illinois criminal justice reform was Public Act 100-284. Signed into law on Aug. 24, 2017, this amendment to the Illinois Criminal Identification Act (ICIA) enacted among the nation’s broadest sealing and expungement reforms to date. As a result of the ICIA (one might also add the automatic expungement provisions included in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act signed into law this summer), there has never been a better time to file an expungement or sealing petition in Illinois. But clients seeking to take advantage of criminal record reforms are going to have questions—lots of them. You’ll need answers. In his September 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Make It Go Away,” criminal-defense attorney Paul Meyers examines typical questions and concerns clients have when pursuing relief under the ICIA.

Read more in the September issue of the Illinois Bar Journal.