General post-incarceration information

Incarceration suspends a number of your civil rights, including your right to vote, serve on a jury, hold public office, own a firearm, and travel to other countries. Going to prison may also restrict your right to hold occupational licenses for certain jobs.

How do you know what rights you lost that you may want to try to restore? Read your court paperwork carefully. Final Orders or final Judgments are documents that summarize the ruling in your case.

Vacating convictions and clearing or sealing criminal records

Many people with a criminal record want to “expunge” or “clear” their criminal histories. While Washington law does not permit the destruction of adult conviction records, some people may be eligible to “vacate” a conviction record.

• A Guide to Sealing and Destroying Court Records, Vacating Convictions, and Deleting Criminal History Records from the State Court
• Vacate criminal records: The basics from Washington LawHelp
• Vacating a misdemeanor conviction and Vacating a felony conviction from Civil Survival to determine eligibility and next steps
• How can I get my criminal history information removed? from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
• Getting and Reading Criminal History Reports in Washington from the ACLU of Washington
• Request a Criminal History Report from the Washington State Patrol
• How to Expunge Your Criminal Record in Oregon and Washington from Navigate Law Group

Forms and Instructions

Washington LawHelp has forms and instructions for different situations including:

• Vacate a felony conviction
• Vacate a misdemeanor conviction
• Vacate a cannabis (marijuana) misdemeanor conviction
• Seal, vacate, or destroy juvenile court records
• Seal or redact a court record

State v. Blake

The Washington State Supreme Court issued an opinion in the State v. Blake case in February 2021 declaring the strict liability drug possession statute unconstitutional.

• Help for unconstitutional drug convictions (Blake) from the Clark County Public Defense office
• Vacate drug possession convictions after State v. Blake from Washington LawHelp
• Blake Refund Bureau online portal from the State Court

Certificate of Discharge (COD)

A Certificate of Discharge (COD) is a document issued by the court certifying that all requirements of a person’s sentence, including payment of any and all legal financial obligations (LFOs), has been completed. A COD discharges a person from supervision by the Department of Corrections and may be needed to vacate a criminal conviction.

To restore your right to serve on a jury or run for public office, you must complete all the terms of your sentence, including paying off any and all LFOs, and obtain a COD from the court. A COD does not remove convictions from your record or restore your right to possess a firearm.

• File a Petition for Certificate of Discharge from the State Court

Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs)

Legal financial obligations, or LFOs, are the fines, fees, costs and restitution imposed by the court on top of a criminal sentence. More information about LFOs, including instructions and forms to ask to reduce them, can be found at:

• Forms and instructions to reduce or waive LFOs from the State Court website
• Ask the court to reduce or waive LFOs from the Clark County Superior Court Clerk's Office
• Reducing Legal Financial Obligations from Civil Survival
• Get relief from LFOs from Washington LawHelp
• LFO Help from Living with Conviction

Certificate of Restoration of Opportunity (CROP)

A Certificate of Restoration of Opportunity is used after you have served your criminal sentence. It can make it easier to get a job or housing, and can help restore certain occupational licenses.

• Forms and instructions to ask for a CROP from the State Court website

Gun rights restoration

The law library sells a Gun Rights Restoration self-help kit with forms and instructions to ask the court to restore firearms rights that were lost due to mental health issues or criminal convictions in Clark County, Washington. Kits can be purchased at the library or online and mailed out.

Voting rights restoration

A law effective January 1, 2022 automatically restores voting rights to citizens immediately upon their release from prison. It also restored the right to vote to approximately 20,000 residents who were on community supervision following release from prison. Registering to vote after the right is restored is still required.

• Registering to Vote from Clark County Elections
• Felony Convictions and Voting Rights from the Washington Secretary of State
• Can I Vote in WA? from the ACLU
• Past felony conviction? You can vote from the Washington Voting Rights Restoration Coalition

Driver's License suspension

If your driver's license was suspended, information that is available from Washington LawHelp includes:

• My license might be suspended. What can I do?
• Get your license back: Suspensions for unpaid non-criminal traffic fines

The law library sells an Appeal a Driver's License Suspension self-help kit with forms and instructions to file an appeal to the Superior Court regarding an administrative decision made by the Department of Licensing suspending a driver's license. Kits can be purchased at the library or online and mailed out.