Vince Dean, Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk, announced that his office is making it more convenient to get eligible cases expunged. Beginning Jan. 3, 2022, citizens of Hamilton County can go to one office for an expungement, whether the case was in Circuit Criminal Court or General Sessions Criminal Court.
Until now a person with cases in both Sessions Criminal Division and Circuit Criminal Division would have to make trips to both offices causing confusion to many, he said.
Mr. Dean said, “This one stop shop for expungements allows the citizens of Hamilton County to go to one location to get their cases expunged. It’s also a continued effort by my office to make things more efficient for the folks of Hamilton County. Recently, we opened the payment center to allow citizens to pay fines and court costs for Circuit Criminal Court and General Sessions Criminal Court in one convenient location. The expungement center mirrors this and enhances our efforts to make the Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk’s office more user friendly for the citizens of Hamilton County.
“Since taking office in 2014, I have found that most folks having business with us can get confused over the differences in the offices and their jurisdictions. We think this is another step to help clear up that confusion.”
Not all criminal cases are eligible for expungement according to Tennessee Code Annotated. There is also a charge of $100 for an expungement. However, cases that are dismissed by a judge may be expunged free of charge, but they are not automatically expunged. You must apply to have them expunged. Also, it is important to note that having a case expunged only removes it from the Court Clerk’s files. The Clerk would have no way of clearing the files of other entities. It is the responsibility of the citizen to retain proof of their expungement. Once the case is expunged, the Clerk’s office has no way of retrieving any information about it.
For more information regarding expungements, visit the expungement office in room 109 of the City County Courts Building at 600 Market Street, or call the Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk’s office at 209-7600.