Arrest records for “violent felonies” are not eligible for expungement under Alabama’s current Expungement Law.
If you were arrested for a charge that is considered to be a “violent felony” under Alabama, that arrest is not able to be expunged from your record under the current Alabama Expungment law (at the time this blog post was written).
So what are the felonies that Alabama considers to be “violent felonies”? Here is the list from Alabama Code section 12-25-32(15):
“ Violent offense.
a.
For the purposes of this article, a violent offense
includes each of the following offenses, or any substantially similar offense to those listed in this subdivision created after June 20, 2003:
1. Capital murder pursuant to Sections 13A-6-2 and 13A-5-40.
2. Murder pursuant to Section 13A-6-2.
3. Manslaughter pursuant to Section 13A-6-3.
4. Criminally negligent homicide pursuant to Section 13A-6-4.
5. Assault I pursuant to Section 13A-6-20.
6. Assault II pursuant to Section 13A-6-21.
7. Compelling street gang membership pursuant to Section 13A-6-26.
8. Kidnapping I pursuant to Section 13A-6-43.
9. Kidnapping II pursuant to Section 13A-6-44.
10. Rape I pursuant to Section 13A-6-61.
11. Rape II pursuant to Section 13A-6-62.
12. Sodomy I pursuant to Section 13A-6-63.
13. Sodomy II pursuant to Section 13A-6-64.
14. Sexual torture pursuant to Section 13A-6-65.1.
15. Sexual abuse I pursuant to Section 13A-6-66.
16. Enticing a child to enter a vehicle for immoral purposes pursuant to Section 13A-6-69.
17. Stalking pursuant to Section 13A-6-90.
18. Aggravated stalking pursuant to Section 13A-6-91.
19. Soliciting a child by computer pursuant to Section 13A-6-110.
20. Domestic violence I pursuant to Section 13A-6-130.
21. Domestic violence II pursuant to Section 13A-6-131.
22. Burglary I pursuant to Section 13A-7-5.
23. Burglary II pursuant to Section 13A-7-6.
24. Burglary III pursuant to subdivision (1) or subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of Section 13A-7-7.
25. Arson I pursuant to Section 13A-7-41.
26. Criminal possession of explosives pursuant to Section 13A-7-44.
27. Extortion I pursuant to Section 13A-8-14.
28. Robbery I pursuant to Section 13A-8-41.
29. Robbery II pursuant to Section 13A-8-42.
30. Robbery III pursuant to Section 13A-8-43.
31. Pharmacy robbery pursuant to Section 13A-8-51.
32. Terrorist threats pursuant to Section 13A-10-15.
33. Escape I pursuant to Section 13A-10-31.
34. Promoting prison contraband I pursuant to Section 13A-10-36, involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.
35. Intimidating a witness pursuant to Section 13A-10-123.
36. Intimidating a juror pursuant to Section 13A-10-127.
37. Treason pursuant to Section 13A-11-2.
38. Discharging a weapon into an occupied building, dwelling, automobile, etc., pursuant to Section 13A-11- 61.
39. Promoting prostitution I pursuant to Section 13A-12-111.
40. Production of obscene matter involving a minor pursuant to Section 13A-12-197.
41. Trafficking pursuant to Section 13A-12-231.
42. Child abuse pursuant to Section 26-15-3.
43. Elder abuse pursuant to Section 38-9-7.
44. Terrorism pursuant to Section 13A-10-152.
45. Hindering prosecution for terrorism pursuant to Section 13A-10-154.
46. Domestic violence III pursuant to subsection (d) of Section 13A-6-132.
47. Domestic violence by strangulation or suffocation pursuant to Section 13A-6-138.
48. Human trafficking I pursuant to Section 13A-6-152.
49. Human trafficking II pursuant to Section 13A-6-153.
50. Hindering prosecution in the first degree pursuant to Section 13A-10-43.
51. Any substantially similar offense for which an Alabama offender has been convicted under prior Alabama law or the law of any other state, the District of Columbia, the United States, or any of the territories of the United States.
b. The basis for defining these offenses as violent is that each offense meets at least one of the following criteria:
1. Has as an element, the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or physical force against the person of another.
2. Involves a substantial risk of physical injury against the person of another.
3. Is a nonconsensual sex offense.
4. Is particularly reprehensible.
c. Any attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit a violent offense shall be considered a violent offense for the purposes of this article.
d. Any criminal offense which meets the criteria provided in paragraph b. enacted after 2003.
As you can see, the list of “violent felonies” in Alabama includes many different felonies. If you were charged with one of the above felonies in Alabama, even if your case was dismissed, no-billed by a grand jury, or you were found not guilty (acquitted) your arrest record for the violent felony is not eligible to be expunged under the current version of Alabama’s Expungement Law.
The good news for many potential expungement clients is that if you were charged with any other felony not listed above, any misdemeanor, or any ordinance violation and you were not convicted of the charge, you may be eligible to file a Petition for Expungement of the arrest record from the charge.
Visit the “Is My Case Eligible” section of our website: https://expungementalabamalawyer.com/is-my-alabama-expungement-case-eligible/ to find out more details and whether your arrest record may qualify to be expunged (or cleared) under the Alabama Expungement Law. If you have further questions about expunging your Alabama arrest record, feel free to contact Attorney, Jordan M. Copeland at Jordan@expungementalabamalawyer.com or call us at (256) 378-6087.
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