Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has expressed hope that the difficulties faced by persons who served their time for an offence and want an expungement may be a deterrent to others.

He was speaking in Parliament yesterday, as he opened the debate on the bill to amend the Criminal Records Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

Mr. Chuck outlined that under the current legislation, the list of types of offences that can be expunged is limited, so consideration is being made to expand it.

The minister pointed out that many reformed offenders reported difficulty with being able to reintegrate into society and securing a job due to having a criminal record and that in some deserving cases, this hurdle would be removed with expungement.

Mr. Chuck however stressed that certain offences will remain as non-expugnable, because their removal would send the wrong signal. 

He said potential criminals should view the frustrating expungement process as an incentive to avoid committing a crime.