Board to Review Criminal Record Expungement Applications Announced

Three persons have been appointed to the Board that will review applications for the expungement of criminal records.  Attorney Leslie Hamilton who has served as a magistrate will chair the board while Melissa Miralda of the Community Rehabilitation Department will represent the Ministry of Human Development, and Arturo Lui, Controller of Belize Central Prison will represent the Ministry of Home Affairs.  The other board member is the Police Commissioner Chester Williams.  As reported in an earlier newscast, the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act was gazette on July 31, 2024 and the board was given its powers effective Friday, August 30.  The role of the board is to review written applications from persons with criminal records who are seeking that the record be rescinded or expunged.  The Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act passed through the Senate on March 26.  For context, here is the presentation made back then by the Senator for Government Business, Eamon Courtenay.

Eamon Courtenay, Senator: “The purpose of this bill is to increase the efficiency in the judicial system and the idea is to recognize that people who have been rehabilitated, people who have paid their debt to society, should be allowed to be reincorporated into society and a criminal record against them being expunged. Having a criminal record, Madam President, as you know affects many persons applying for jobs, applying for visas, applying for other services when an application form requires you to say have you been found guilty of a criminal offense. The purpose here is to end the limited number of offenses listed in the act is to expunge those convictions in the circumstances established in the act by the board that will be established by the act. Madam President the purpose of that as I say is to allow those persons who have served their time and who have been rehabilitated to have their records expunged and therefore the stigma of their conviction would be removed. There is a provision that precludes the disclosure of that person’s conviction after their record has been expunged.”

The three names were published in the government gazette last week.