Hamilton County Public Defender Fresh Start Expungement Clinic


A criminal record can make finding employment, obtaining housing, enrolling in and funding your education, and securing other opportunities very difficult. The good news is that there are options for you to move forward, even if you have made mistakes in the past. From sealing or expunging your criminal record to getting certificates which open doors for you to enroll in job training programs, the Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender is pleased to help you with your Fresh Start!

Sealing a criminal record means the electronic and paper records of the criminal charges are filed in a separate, secure location. In most cases, sealed records will not appear on criminal background checks. While the record will still exist, it cannot be seen by most people. Most employers and landlords are not allowed to access sealed records from a government source, such as the clerk of courts, the police or the state Bureau of Identification and Investigation. However, certain types of employers, officials, and government agencies are allowed by law to see sealed records. For example, prosecutors, judges and police, along with employers in law enforcement and those involving children or the elderly may access a sealed record. State licensing agencies, such as the State Medical Board or Dental Board, may review sealed records for the purposes of license denial, suspension, or revocation.

Eligibility for the sealing of an adult criminal record is limited in several respects, including the type and nature of the offense, whether the charge resulted in a conviction and how much time has passed since the case concluded. To determine whether you are eligible to have your record sealed, you must first know what is on your criminal record. In Hamilton County, you must obtain a copy of your record from the Sheriff’s Office, located at the Hamilton County Justice Center, 1000 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. You may view your record on the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts website at www.courtclerk.org.; however, your record from the Sheriff’s Office will be more accurate. Therefore, PLEASE BRING a copy of your record when you attend the Fresh Start Clinic; it will also have a history of any convictions from suburban Mayors’ Courts or Municipal Courts. If you have convictions out-of-county or out-of state, you will need to obtain a copy from those locations.

Our clinic is by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 513-946-3666 the morning of the clinic you would like to attend. We will have a team of attorneys look over your criminal record and explain what you are eligible to have expunged. We will file all your expungement paper work and you will receive your court date in the mail. You will know at your first court date if the expungement was granted or denied. We always try to prepare our clients and set them up for success! Please see the attached flyer for more details or visit our website: https://www.hamiltoncountypd.org/fresh-start/

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