Does a domestic violence charge stay on a person's criminal history record if the person was convicted of the charge?
If a person is convicted of a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor involving domestic violence, the person can request that the court vacate the conviction if all the statutory requirements for vacation of a conviction are met. At least five years must have passed since the offender completed the terms of sentence, including payment of any fine ordered by the court.
The requirements for vacation of a conviction can be found at RCW 9.96.060. Form CrRLJ 09.0100 - Motion and Declaration for Order Vacating Conviction for the vacation of a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor conviction is available in Word® format on the Court Forms: Vacating/Sealing Records page of the Washington Courts Website.
The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) publishes a brochure titled A guide to Sealing and Destroying Court Records, Vacating Convictions, and Deleting Criminal History Records, located on the Washington Courts Web site. The brochure contains information on court records and law enforcement records. The brochure has links to the Washington State Patrol's (WSP) Website with information on criminal history maintained by the WSP.
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