Rhode Island allows expungement of eligible shoplifting cases, with the timing depending on how the case resolved. Dismissed charges, diversion completions, and "no information" or "no true bill" outcomes are generally eligible for expungement much sooner than convictions - sometimes within months. Misdemeanor convictions typically require a waiting period of five years from completion of sentence, and certain felony convictions require ten years, assuming the defendant has no intervening charges and meets all statutory criteria. Expungement seals the record from most employers, landlords, and public databases. Bank & Munns handles stand-alone expungement petitions for clients whose Rhode Island shoplifting cases are years behind them but still showing up on background checks. A clean record is almost always achievable - you just need to ask.