Request Certificate of Rehabilitation
If a person was convicted of a felony and sentenced to state prison or convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense, many types of clean slate relief aren’t available. A Certificate of Rehabilitation (COR) may be an option. A COR is an official document, stating that a judge believes the person has demonstrated that they’ve been rehabilitated. The granting of a COR restores some of the person’s rights. may relieve them from the requirement to register as a sex offender and can help mitigate the stigma of a conviction. A COR does not erase or seal the person’s criminal record or allow them to state on an employment application that they have no criminal convictions. A person may be eligible for this relief if they have completed the terms of their sentence, paid fines, fees, and restitution, and have been off probation or parole and lived in California for at least five years. (Pen. Code, § 4852.01.)