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Ten months after several amendments to the Criminal Code were approved, the section on expungement of criminal records came into force yesterday. This section is actually the introduction of the Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Bill. Under this Bill, a system is established to allow for the expungement of criminal records, meaning that a person’s criminal record can be removed after a period of time or after meeting specific rehabilitation requirements. This is a move that several governments have called for. On March 26 this year, the Senate debated the matter, with Senator Eamon Courtenay, who holds the responsibility for government business, explaining the purpose of the Bill.
The Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Bill was published in the Gazette on July 31, 2024 and signed by the Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos Garcia. Love News has learned that written applications to expunge criminal records must be submitted to the Commission. The Commission will then decide whether to expunge the record and direct the Belize Criminal Records Office to expunge the record if approved. Under the law, the Commission shall have three to five members, including a lawyer who has served in the judiciary for at least ten years, a Court of Appeal judge, a High Court judge, or a magistrate; as well as a government minister with an interest in offender rehabilitation, a social worker, a psychiatrist or psychologist, an experienced record keeper, a civil servant, and the Commissioner of Police.
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