Delaware processed its first automated Clean Slate batch on June 1, clearing 64,000 eligible criminal records from public background checks. That is more than three times the total number of records cleared in all of 2025.
The state has a backlog of over 1 million eligible cases. Governor Matt Meyer’s administration aims to clear most of them by August.
What Clean Slate Does
Delaware’s 2021 Clean Slate law automatically seals low-level criminal records after a waiting period. Eligible offenses include petty theft, minor drug possession, and other misdemeanors. No petition required. No fee. No lawyer needed.
A sealed record does not appear on standard background checks used by employers, landlords, and licensing boards. It remains accessible to law enforcement and the courts. The person’s conviction is not erased. It is removed from the public-facing system that blocks people from jobs and housing years after they completed their sentence.
Why Automation Matters
Before automation, every record had to be reviewed individually. The system cleared fewer than 20,000 cases in 2025. At that pace, the 1 million case backlog would take decades.
A 2025 investigation by Delaware Public Media found that the Delaware State Police were failing to deliver records needed for the program. The automation bypasses that bottleneck by pulling directly from court records.
The 64,000 cleared cases represent real consequences. A person with a sealed misdemeanor from 2014 can now pass a background check for a job they have been turned away from for 12 years.
The National Picture
Twelve states have passed Clean Slate laws. Most still rely on petition-based systems where eligible people must hire a lawyer or navigate forms themselves. Petition-based systems clear fewer than 10% of eligible records nationally. Delaware’s automated approach closes that gap.
Pennsylvania was the first state to pass a Clean Slate law in 2018. Michigan, Utah, Connecticut, Virginia, Colorado, Oklahoma, New York, Minnesota, Oregon, and New Jersey followed. Automation is the difference between a law on the books and a law that works.
What You Can Do
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If you have a criminal record in Delaware, check your eligibility at the Delaware Courts Clean Slate page. Eligible records are being cleared automatically, but you can verify your status.
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Contact Governor Meyer’s office to support full backlog clearance by the August deadline and demand continued pressure on State Police compliance with record delivery.
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If your state does not have a Clean Slate law, contact your state legislators. Twelve states have passed one. Automated expungement is the model that works.