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Deputy defender general opposes replacing expungement with sealing in S.12; cites data‑breach and reentry concerns
Summary
The deputy defender general told the Judiciary committee that a proposal to replace expungement with record sealing would reduce benefits for people with prior records, increase data‑breach risk, and complicate retroactivity and record‑management; the office urged retaining expungement or adopting broader protections from a prior draft (S.299).
A representative identified as the deputy defender general told the Judiciary committee that his office opposes a bill that would favor sealing records over the current expungement system.
“We oppose the bill,” the deputy defender general said, summarizing the office’s view that Vermont’s existing expungement system works and that replacing expungement with sealing would create more harms than benefits.
The witness said expungement effectively removes records from routine access, leaving only a controlled index for narrow uses such as federal security‑clearance checks or immigration matters. By contrast, sealing retains records…
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