New Law Allows Expungement of Criminal Records in Belize

Persons with criminal records can now apply to have their files expunged.  The announcement follows the Senate’s ratification of the amendments to the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 2024.  It is a movement by the government to give second chances to those who are faced with challenges due to a conviction on their police record.  Senator for Government Business, Eamon Courtenay, explained in detail back in March the rationale for the amendments.

Eamon Courtney, Senator, Leader of Government Business: “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 and 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.”

To apply to have a police record wiped clean, a completed application needs to be sent to either the Ministry of Human Development or the Ministry of Home Affairs, or on its website.