Massachusetts Disclaimers and Pre-Questionnaire Steps

This page is a general information page shown before our questionnaire that will help you find out if your record is eligible for expungement. We strongly recommend you review the information on this page before proceeding via the link at the bottom of this page.

Disclaimer: Nothing on this website is legal advice or should be taken as legal advice. We recommend that if you need legal advice that you consult with a lawyer. You can find a lawyer near you here. We also do not guarantee quality of any third-party service that we recommend or redirect users to.

How To Request a Copy of Your Adult Criminal Offender Record Information (“CORI”)

• For individuals with a valid Massachusetts ID or driver’s license who are not submitting an Affidavit of Indigency (an exemption from the $25 filing fee)
  1. Go to https://www.mass.gov/criminal-record-check-services and click “Request a name-based record check (CORI)”.
  2. Fill out the form and pay the $25 fee online.
• For all other individuals:
  1. Fill out the CORI Request Form: https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/09/xa/adult-personal-criminal-record-request-form.pdf
  2. Have the form notarized.
  3. Either obtain a money order for $25 OR fill out an Affidavit of Indigency (https://www.masslegalhelp.org/cori/forms-folder/affidavit-of-indigency-cori.pdf)
     • You are eligible to file an Affidavit of Indigency if you:
       1. Receive public assistance under TAFDC, SSI, EAEDC, MassHealth, or Massachusetts Veterans’ Programs;
       2. Have an income at or below 125% of the federal poverty threshold; or
       3. Are unable to pay the $25 without depriving yourself or your depends of the necessities of life, including food, shelter, and clothing.
  4. Mail the CORI Request Form (and Affidavit of Indigency, if applicable) to: Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
     Attn: CORI Unit
     200 Arlington Street, Suite 2200
     Chelsea, MA 02150

How To Request Copy of Your Juvenile Court Activity Record Information (“CARI”)

1. Fill out the Juvenile CARI Request Form (https://www.mass.gov/media/1003526/download).
2. Mail the Juvenile CARI Request Form, along with a copy of your photo ID, to:
   Massachusetts Probation Service
   Attn: Records Unit
   One Ashburton Place, Room 405
   Boston, MA 02108
   

How To Seal Your CORI/CARI

• For records with a conviction:
  1. Fill out a Petition to Seal Conviction Records (https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/05/Petition%20to%20Seal.pdf).
  2. It is recommended, but not required, that you also obtain:
     • A copy of your CORI/CARI, obtainable as above.
     • A certified copy of the court docket of the offense, obtainable from the Criminal Clerk’s Office where the case originated.
  3. Mail the petition (and copies of your CORI/CARI and relevant court docket, if applicable) to:
     Office of the Commissioner of Probation
     Massachusetts Probation Service
     One Ashburton Place, Room 405
     Boston, MA 02108
  4. Wait for a decision from the Commissioner.

• For records without a conviction:
  1. Fill out a Petition to Seal Non-Conviction Records (https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/05/Petition%20to%20Seal%20Non-conviction%20Records%20Form.pdf).
     • You are required to provide reasons for why your records should be sealed, as well as any documents supporting those reasons.
  2. It is recommended, but not required, that you also obtain:
     • A copy of your CORI/CARI, obtainable as above.
     • A certified copy of the court docket of the offense, obtainable from the Criminal Clerk's Office where the case originated.
  3. File the petition (and supporting evidence, a copy of your CORI/CARI, and a certified copy of the relevant court docket, if applicable) with a court.
     • If your case was in the District Court, file it with the clerk’s office of the particular court in which the case originated.
     • If your case was in the Boston Municipal Court Department (“BMCD”), file it with the BMCD court division where you live. If you no longer live in the BMCD territories, file at the BMCD court division in which your most recent criminal record eligible for sealing arose.
       • If filing with the BMCD, you do not have to make separate filings for each record you want to seal; you can request to seal multiple records at once.
  4. Next steps:
     • For filings in the District Court:
       • A judge will review the petition. If the judge determines that you have not met the preliminary legal standard, the judge will deny the petition without a hearing, and you will be notified in writing. If the judge determines that you have met the preliminary legal standard, a hearing will be held, and you will be notified by mail regarding when it is scheduled. The judge may issue a decision at the end of the hearing or may take the case under advisement, in which case you will be notified later in writing of the final decision.
     • For filings in the BMCD:
       • A judge may conduct a preliminary hearing to determine whether you have presented a prima facie case, or a judge may decide whether a prima facie case has been made out based just on the petition. If you do not present a prima facie case, the request will be denied. If you present a prima facie case, a final hearing will be scheduled. (If you are attempting to seal multiple records at once, the final hearing will be scheduled no earlier than 30 days but no later than 45 days from the preliminary hearing or the filing of the the petition.) You must send a copy of the petition to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office 30 days before the final hearing. The judge will approve or deny the petition after the final hearing.

Source - https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-to-seal-your-criminal-record

To proceed to the CanIexpunge questionnaire for your state that will help you find out if your record is eligible for expungement, click here.