Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004
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The Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
administered by the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. It allows for a
criminal record A criminal record (not to be confused with a police record or arrest record) is a record of a person's criminal Conviction, convictions history. The information included in a criminal record, and the existence of a criminal record, varies betwe ...
to be hidden from the public if the person is eligible. At the time the act was passed, the Ministry of Justice estimated that it may be applicable to 500,000 people (an eighth of the country's population at the time), the majority of which committed a minor offence in their youth. In 2015 it was reported that just over 220,000 people have had their convictions wiped since the Act was introduced in 2004.


Eligibility

In order to be eligible under the Act a person must have: * no convictions within the last 7 years; * never been sentenced to a custodial sentence (e.g. imprisonment, corrective training,
borstal A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...
); * never been ordered by a Court during a criminal case to be detained in a hospital due to his/her mental condition, instead of being sentenced; * not been convicted of a "specified offence" (e.g. sexual offending against children and young people or the mentally impaired) * paid in full any fine, reparation or costs ordered by the Court in a criminal case; * never been indefinitely disqualified from driving under section 65 of the Land Transport Act 1998 or earlier equivalent provision. In certain cases, a person cannot hide their past criminal record under the Act, such as when a person applies to work for the New Zealand Police or a job involving national security.


See also

*
Crimes Act 1961 The Crimes Act 1961 is an act of New Zealand Parliament that forms a leading part of the criminal law in New Zealand. It repeals the Crimes Act 1908, itself a successor of the Criminal Code Act 1893. Most crimes in New Zealand are created by t ...
* New Zealand Police


References

{{Reflist


External links


Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act
- text of the Act
Ministry of Justice
- Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 Statutes of New Zealand 2004 in New Zealand law Criminal records