Welcome to Relief from a Criminal Conviction: A Digital Guide to Expunctions, Certificates of Relief, and Other Procedures in North Carolina. This web-based guide, recipient of the Margaret Taylor Writing Award from the School of Government, explains in one place the principal mechanisms available in North Carolina for obtaining relief from a criminal conviction. It supplements the School’s Collateral Consequences Assessment Tool, C-CAT, an online tool enabling users to identify the potential consequences of a criminal conviction in North Carolina. The guide includes changes made by the General Assembly through the end of its 2023 legislative session.
Features include:
- Keyword searching
- Links to internal and external cross-references
- Printable pages throughout the site
- Accessibility from anywhere your electronic device can connect to the internet
- Periodic updates
This guide draws on the work of many others, including the 2021 Summary of North Carolina Expunctions by Daniel Bowes & Laura Holland (N.C. Justice Center, 2021) and the Expungement Resources website maintained by the NC Second Chance Alliance. School of Government editors and IT professionals have been instrumental in creating and sustaining this guide over the years. Thank you!
The views expressed in the guide and any errors are those of the author, John Rubin, a School of Government faculty member who specializes in criminal law and procedure. Comments and suggestions are welcome and should be directed to him at rubin@sog.unc.edu.
This guide does not purport to provide legal advice in individual cases. Users should refer to relevant parts of the North Carolina General Statutes and other laws and seek advice as necessary from a qualified attorney.
© UNC School of Government
