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Correct. Law § 701 — certificates of relief from disabilities, and of good conduct
The vote. A person convicted of a felony and sentenced to imprisonment for it may not register or vote while incarcerated for that felony. A person the parole board releases is notified in writing that voting rights will be restored upon release. Voting after a conviction has its own page.
A plan from admission. On admission of a person committed under an indeterminate or determinate sentence, the department develops a transitional accountability plan, an individualized case management plan based on the person's programming and treatment needs, used to prioritize programming and treatment during incarceration and any period of community supervision, for the person's successful reentry into society.
A certificate of relief from disabilities. A certificate of relief from disabilities relieves an eligible offender of forfeitures or disabilities, or removes a bar to employment, automatically imposed by law because of the conviction. It may cover some of them or all. With it, the conviction does not cause the automatic forfeiture of a license, permit, employment or franchise, including the right to register and vote, except as the section provides. It does not apply to the right to hold public office, and a licensing body may still rely on the conviction in using its discretion.
Who issues it. The sentencing court may issue one where it did not commit the person to a state institution, at sentencing or afterward on a verified application. The department of corrections and community supervision may issue one to a person who was committed to a state institution, at release or at any time after. A certificate issued while the person is still under supervision is temporary until discharge and may be revoked for a violation, on notice and with a chance to explain.
| Most serious conviction | Good conduct required first |
|---|---|
| Most serious convictionA misdemeanor | Good conduct required firstOne year |
| Most serious convictionA class C, D or E felony | Good conduct required firstThree years |
| Most serious convictionA class A or B felony | Good conduct required firstFive years |
A certificate of good conduct. The department may issue one when satisfied of the person's conduct for the minimum period, measured from the payment of a fine or the suspension of sentence, or from an unrevoked release from custody by parole, commutation or termination of the sentence. It relieves the person of disabilities, or removes bars to employment, automatically imposed by law because of the conviction, though a licensing or other body may still consider the conviction in accordance with article twenty three A of the Correction Law.
Getting a driver license back, housing and benefits on release, and the department's reentry programs are not on this page. Sealing a record and working with a record have their own pages. Whether a certificate is available for a particular conviction is a question for a licensed New York attorney.
Sources for this section (8)
- Correct. Law § 701 — Certificate of relief from disabilities
- Correct. Law § 703-b — Issuance of certificate of good conduct
- Election Law § 5-106 — Qualifications of voters; reasons for exclusion
- Exec. Law § 259-i — Procedures for the conduct of the work of the state board of parole
- Correct. Law § 71-a — Transitional accountability plan
- Correct. Law § 702 — Certificates of relief from disabilities issued by courts
- Correct. Law § 703 — Certificates of relief from disabilities issued by the department of corrections and community supervision
- Correct. Law § 703-a — Certificate of good conduct
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New York attorney.