Hawaiʻi Lawmakers Explore Potential of Record Expungements for Minor Offenses

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are expanding a program to automatically expunge records for certain minor drug offenses—such as low‑level marijuana charges or excessive purchases of over‑the‑counter medications—to help improve people’s economic and social standing. A state pilot program has cleared the records of nearly 1,000 people arrested but not convicted for certain drug charges, leading to an interest in clearing others of minor offenses. Experts at the briefing said the way Hawaiʻi does its record-keeping gives it the potential to automate the process of reviewing records. That can make expungement something that can potentially be done at scale.