A Virginia law going into effect on July 1 will seal the criminal records of many people convicted of low-level offenses.

The commonwealth’s “Clean Slate” law is expected to automatically seal over 100,000 criminal records of Virginians who were once convicted of misdemeanors such as shoplifting, trespassing and distributing marijuana, but who haven’t reoffended in the past seven years. This will make make housing providers and many employers unable to access such records via criminal background checks.

Hundreds of thousands of other Virginians with misdemeanors, low-level felonies and deferred dismissals on their records will also be able to petition for sealing. For felonies, this will require a person to go at least 10 years with a clean record.

Advocates say the change will open up housing and employment opportunities, helping people to move on with their lives years after committing an offense. Critics have raised public safety concerns, arguing that it creates risks for those who may, unknowingly, end up living and working closely with people previously convicted of crimes.

“My thought is, this is a country of second chances, and if you’ve earned that second chance, then you deserve it,” George Townsend, founder of the law firm Clean Slate Virginia, told ARLnow. “Once you’ve gone a certain amount of time, these convictions shouldn’t stop you from employment the rest of your life.”

Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti told ARLnow that before she took office, the most common charge in Arlington was simple marijuana possession, while the most common charge today is petit larceny. Both of these crimes will be automatically erased from some offenders’ public records.

“Overall this is good news for our community because we know people do better without convictions on their records, since convictions can create significant barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Dehghani-Tafti said.

The bill passed the Virginia House on a 58-41 vote in 2021, and cleared the Senate on a 21-17 vote.