Frequently Asked Questions

Expungement is the legal process of removing arrest or conviction records from criminal justice databases. In Hawaiʻi, expungement is handled through the Attorney General's Hawaiʻi Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC). Once a record is expunged, the individual can legally state that they were not arrested for or convicted of that offense.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Eligibility depends on the type of record. Individuals who were arrested but not convicted — including cases that were dismissed, discharged, or where a deferred plea was completed — may be eligible under HRS §831-3.2. Certain first- and second-time drug offenders, first-time property offenders, and individuals convicted of underage alcohol-related driving offenses may also qualify after completing court-mandated conditions. Each statute has specific requirements, which Pilipuka Agent can help attorneys evaluate.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

There is significant community interest in a state-initiated, automatic expungement process — sometimes called "Clean Slate" — and the Legislature has taken some initial steps. In 2024, Governor Green signed Act 241, which created a task force to study how such a program could work in Hawaiʻi, and Act 62, which established a pilot project for automatic expungement of certain drug arrest records in Hawaiʻi County. However, there is no commitment from the government to implement automatic expungement at this time. The Attorney General's Office has noted concerns about the feasibility of full automation and the cost of replacing application fee revenue. For now, individuals who qualify for expungement must apply for it themselves through the HCJDC.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Yes. The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center charges a $35 fee for first-time expungement applications and a $50 fee for re-applications. These fees help cover processing and labor costs.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Expungement of a non-conviction arrest record (under HRS §831-3.2) applies when a person was arrested or charged but was not ultimately convicted of a crime — for example, if charges were dismissed or the case was discharged. Conviction-based expungement (under statutes like HRS §706-622.5, §706-622.9, or §291E-64(e)) applies to individuals who were convicted of specific qualifying offenses and have successfully completed court-mandated probation or treatment. The application process for conviction-based expungement requires additional court documents beyond the standard application.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

As of the 2026 Legislative Session, H.B. 2279 and its companion S.B. 3098 would amend HRS §831-3.2 to make individuals who were arrested or charged with a crime but convicted only of a violation eligible for expungement. These measures respond to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Barker v. Young, which held that a "violation" is not a "crime" for purposes of the expungement statute. The bill has passed the House and is awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent is an AI-powered tool designed to help licensed attorneys and legal professionals under attorney supervision to analyze court records and assess whether specific cases may be eligible for expungement under Hawaiʻi law. It is a project of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC).

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent is designed for use by licensed attorneys and legal professionals under attorney supervision. It is not intended to provide legal advice directly to the public or to replace attorney judgment.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

You need PDF records from the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary's eCourt Kōkua system. Pilipuka Agent does not have direct access to court records — you must download and upload them yourself. Specifically, you will use "Party Search Results" PDFs for initial screening and "Printable Calendar View" PDFs for detailed case analysis.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

The process has two levels. In the first level, you upload a Party Search Results PDF and Pilipuka Agent scans it to identify cases that appear potentially eligible for expungement. In the second level, you upload the Calendar View PDFs for individual cases flagged in the first step, and Pilipuka Agent performs a detailed analysis — extracting charge details, dispositions, and dates and evaluating them against current Hawaiʻi expungement statutes. It provides its reasoning and citations to the relevant laws for your review.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent provides a link to the state expungement application form. Pilipuka Agent does not complete the form. The form must be physically printed, completed, and submitted to the HCJDC along with the required government fee.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent is powered by AI technology, which means it can make errors. This tool is designed to empower licensed attorneys by speeding up the review of court records for expungement eligibility — it is not legal advice, and it is not intended for use by non-lawyers. Lawyers who use Pilipuka Agent are responsible for independently verifying the accuracy of its analysis before relying on it to advise clients. The tool provides its reasoning and citations to relevant statutes so that attorneys can review and confirm its conclusions.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

No. Pilipuka Agent is an analysis tool that assists attorneys in reviewing records more efficiently. It does not provide legal advice and should never be treated as a substitute for attorney judgment. All eligibility determinations should be verified by a licensed attorney before advising a client.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent was developed by a team at the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, including NHLC staff attorneys, student interns, and technical contributors. The project grew out of NHLC's participation in community expungement clinics on Oʻahu and the team's desire to improve the technological tools available to support that work.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent is powered by Anthropic's Claude AI through an enterprise API subscription operated by NHLC. The enterprise subscription includes enhanced security protections and an agreement that inputs to the tool are not used for AI model training.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Pilipuka Agent does not retain any uploaded files after your web session closes. Files provided to the tool are not used by Anthropic or NHLC for AI model training. Data handling is governed by the Terms of Service on this website, which incorporate Anthropic's enterprise privacy and security policies. For more details, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

The tool leverages laws as of March 2026. The Pilipuka team will strive to monitor legislative developments and updates to Hawaiʻi expungement statutes to keep the tool updated over time, however, this is a free tool and unfunded project offered by a nonprofit. We can not guarantee that it will be maintained over time, which is part of the reason that this tool should only be used by legal professionals that verify the accuracy of its conclusions. If you believe the tool's analysis does not reflect a recent legal change, please contact us.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.

Yes. We welcome feedback from legal professionals using the tool. Please visit our Contact Us page to share your experience or report any issues.

Last updated: March 2026. This information may have changed since this date.