2023 Indiana Code › Title 35. Criminal Law and Procedure › Article 38. Proceedings Following Dismissal, Verdict, or Finding › Chapter 9. Sealing and Expunging Conviction Records › 35-38-9-6. Effect of Expunging Misdemeanor and Minor Class D and Level 6 Felony Convictions

Sec. 6. (a) If the court orders conviction records, including any records relating to the conviction and any records concerning a collateral action, expunged under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter, the court shall do the following with respect to the specific records expunged by the court:
(1) Order:
(A) the department of correction;
(B) the bureau of motor vehicles; and
(C) each:
(i) law enforcement agency; and
(ii) other person;
who incarcerated, prosecuted, provided treatment for, or provided other services for the person under an order of the court;
to prohibit the release of the person's records or information in the person's records to anyone without a court order, other than a law enforcement officer acting in the course of the officer's official duty.
(2) Order the central repository for criminal history information maintained by the state police department to seal the person's expunged conviction records, including information related to:
(A) an arrest or offense:
(i) in which no conviction was entered; and
(ii) that was committed as part of the same episode of criminal conduct as the case ordered expunged; and
(B) any other references to any matters related to the case ordered expunged, including in a collateral action.
This subdivision does not require the state police department to seal any record the state police department does not have legal authority to seal.
(3) Records sealed under subdivision (2) may be disclosed only to:
(A) a prosecuting attorney, if:
(i) authorized by a court order; and
(ii) needed to carry out the official duties of the prosecuting attorney;
(B) a defense attorney, if:
(i) authorized by a court order; and
(ii) needed to carry out the professional duties of the defense attorney;
(C) a probation department, if:
(i) authorized by a court order; and
(ii) necessary to prepare a presentence report;
(D) the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, if disclosure is required to comply with an agreement relating to the sharing of criminal history information;
(E) the:
(i) supreme court;
(ii) members of the state board of law examiners;
(iii) executive director of the state board of law examiners; and
(iv) employees of the state board of law examiners, in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of law examiners;
for the purpose of determining whether an applicant possesses the necessary good moral character for admission to the bar;
(F) a person required to access expunged records to comply with the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (12 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) or regulations adopted under the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act;
(G) the bureau of motor vehicles, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and the Commercial Drivers License Information System (CDLIS), if disclosure is required to comply with federal law relating to reporting a conviction for a violation of a traffic control law; and
(H) a school (as defined in IC 22-4-2-37), for the purpose of determining whether to:
(i) employ a person seeking employment, including volunteer employment, with the school;
(ii) continue a person's employment, including volunteer employment at the school; or
(iii) grant access or admission to the school to an applicant contractor or a contractor;
if the person, contractor, or applicant contractor is likely to have contact with a student enrolled in the school, regardless of the age of the student.
(4) Notify the clerk of the supreme court to seal any records in the clerk's possession that relate to the conviction, including any records concerning a collateral action.
A probation department may provide an unredacted version of a presentence report disclosed under subdivision (3)(C) to any person authorized by law to receive a presentence report.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), if a petition to expunge conviction records, including any records relating to the conviction and any records concerning a collateral action, is granted under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter, the records of:
(1) the sentencing court;
(2) a court that conducted a collateral action;
(3) a juvenile court;
(4) a court of appeals; and
(5) the supreme court;
concerning the person shall be permanently sealed. However, a petition for expungement granted under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter does not affect an existing or pending driver's license suspension.
(c) If a petition to expunge conviction records, including any records relating to the conviction and any records concerning a collateral action, is granted under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter with respect to the records of a person who is named as an appellant or an appellee in an opinion or memorandum decision by the supreme court or the court of appeals, or who is identified in a collateral action, the court shall:
(1) redact the opinion or memorandum decision as it appears on the computer gateway administered by the office of technology so that it does not include the petitioner's name (in the same manner that opinions involving juveniles are redacted); and
(2) provide a redacted copy of the opinion to any publisher or organization to whom the opinion or memorandum decision is provided after the date of the order of expungement.
The supreme court and court of appeals are not required to destroy or otherwise dispose of any existing copy of an opinion or memorandum decision that includes the petitioner's name.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (b), a prosecuting attorney may submit a written application to a court that granted an expungement petition under this chapter to gain access to any records that were permanently sealed under subsection (b), if the records are relevant in a new prosecution of the person. If a prosecuting attorney who submits a written application under this subsection shows that the records are relevant for a new prosecution of the person, the court that granted the expungement petition shall:
(1) order the records to be unsealed; and
(2) allow the prosecuting attorney who submitted the written application to have access to the records.
If a court orders records to be unsealed under this subsection, the court shall order the records to be permanently resealed at the earliest possible time after the reasons for unsealing the records cease to exist. However, if the records are admitted as evidence against the person in a new prosecution that results in the person's conviction, or are used to enhance a sentence imposed on the person in a new prosecution, the court is not required to reseal the records.
(e) If a person whose conviction records, including any records relating to the conviction and any records concerning a collateral action, are expunged under sections 2 through 5 of this chapter is required to register as a sex offender based on the commission of a felony which has been expunged:
(1) the expungement does not affect the operation of the sex offender registry web site, any person's ability to access the person's records, records required to be maintained concerning sex or violent offenders, or any registration requirement imposed on the person; and
(2) the expunged conviction records must be clearly marked as expunged on the sex offender registry web site.
(f) Expungement of a crime of domestic violence under section 2 of this chapter does not restore a person's right to possess a firearm. The right of a person convicted of a crime of domestic violence to possess a firearm may be restored only in accordance with IC 35-47-4-7.
(g) If a court issues an order granting a petition for expungement under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter, the court shall also order any related records described in section 1(h) of this chapter sealed or redacted in the manner described in section 1 of this chapter, unless the records described in section 1(h) of this chapter have been ordered sealed and redacted under this section.
(h) If the court issues an order granting a petition for expungement under sections 2 through 3 of this chapter, the court shall include in its order the information described in section 8(b) of this chapter.
(i) If the court issues an order granting a petition for expungement under sections 2 through 5 of this chapter, the court shall include in its order the information described in section 10(c) of this chapter.
As added by P.L.159-2013, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.181-2014, SEC.12; P.L.142-2015, SEC.6; P.L.198-2016, SEC.671; P.L.219-2019, SEC.12; P.L.14-2022, SEC.2; P.L.185-2023, SEC.6.