Certificate of Rehabilitation Application
What exactly is a Certificate of Rehabilitation?
A Certificate of Rehabilitation is a court order establishing that a person
who has been convicted of a felony in the past is now completely rehabilitated
under the law.
If Ronald Dinan & Associates is successful in the acquisition of a
Certificate of Rehabilitation for you, our office will automatically have
it forwarded to the Governor's Office by the issuing Court. This will
then constitute an automatic application for a pardon.
There is no guaranty that upon the Governor's receipt of a Certificate
of Rehabilitation that a pardon will be granted, but this is the primary
method of application for such a pardon.
Can I apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation?
There are three types of individuals who can apply for a Certificate of
Rehabilitation.
-
Those convicted of a felony who spent time serving their sentence in a
California prison and were discharged or released on parole prior to May
13, 1943. They cannot have not been incarcerated since their release in
a state penal institution and must have resided for three years in California
immediately prior to filing the Petition.
-
Those convicted of a felony or misdemeanor sex offense pursuant to Penal
Code §290 who have been expunged or dismissed per Penal Code §1203.4
and have been completely discharged from probation, parole .or custody.
They cannot have not spent any time in a state penal institution, jail,
or state agency since their release and cannot be on probation for the
commission of any other felony. They must also have resided for five years
in California immediately prior to the filing of the Petition.
-
Those convicted of a felony after May 13, 2026 who were sentenced to state
prison and have been discharged from custody or released on parole. They
must have resided for five years in California immediately prior to filing
the Petition.
Am I not eligible to apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation?
People who are not eligible include:
- Those who do not meet the requirements as set forth above;
- Those who are in the military;
- Those who are committed to prison under a death sentence;
- Those who are serving mandatory life parole or those who are convicted
of sex offenses under Penal Code §§286c, 288, 288(a)(c), 288.5,
289(j); or
- Those who are simply convicted of misdemeanors because their avenue of
approach would be through acquiring an expungement or dismissal of their
conviction (except certain misdemeanor sex offenses as previously discussed).
How long is my period of rehabilitation?
Your period of rehabilitation begins to run from the date of your discharge
from incarceration, upon your release from probation, or your release
from parole. The period of rehabilitation requires a minimum of five years
residence in the state of California plus any additional years ordered
by the court if you served consecutive sentences; two additional years
if you were convicted of an offense not listed in this section (and that
does not carry a life sentence) or five years if you were convicted of
an offense that requires registration pursuant to Penal Code §290,
with some exceptions for conviction of certain violations.
Where will paperwork be filed?
We will file paperwork in the Superior Court of your current county of
residence, regardless of where the conviction occurred. This Petition
is designed to notify the District Attorney in the county of your residence
and the District Attorney in each county in which you were convicted of
a felony offense. Once a Petition is filed, the Court will schedule a
hearing on the Certificate of Rehabilitation and the Court may require
an investigation by the District Attorney's office.
Testimony and various records may be produced at the hearing focusing primarily
on your conduct and your behavior since being released from prison. If
a successful Petition is acquired, a certified copy of your Certificate
of Rehabilitation will be ordered by the Court to be automatically transmitted
to the Governor's Office, which becomes an automatic application.
What will a Certificate of Rehabilitation do for me?
- Relieve certain specified sex offenders of a duty to register
- Serve as your automatic application for a pardon
- Serve as an official document to demonstrate your rehabilitation which
could substantially enhance employment applications.
- Enhance your potential for becoming licensed by various state agencies.
What does my Certificate of Rehabilitation NOT do?
- Does not give an ex-felon the right to vote because this right is automatically
restored to you after termination from probation or discharge from parole.
-
Does not allow an ex-felon to answer on employment applications that he/she
has no record of conviction. These issues are addressed in an
expungement.
- Does not prevent your felony offense from being considered as a prior conviction
if you are later convicted of a new offense.
- Does not erase your felony conviction or seal the criminal record. Reductions
of a felony to a misdemeanor are generally accomplished in an expungement process.
If you need a Certificate of Rehabilitation, one of the best decisions
you can make is to speak to a lawyer from our firm. To speak with an attorney,
contact us as soon as you can!