Who qualifies for criminal record Expungement?

If you have been found guilty of a crime, you may wish to get your criminal record expunged. Expungement means that evidence of your criminal record is essentially destroyed or removed (although in many states, the expunged charges are still available to a limited array of government agencies like law enforcement and immigration). Expungement becomes important if you want to be able to apply for jobs or other positions that require a background check where a criminal record may disqualify you.

Whether or not you are eligible for a criminal record depends in large part on the laws of your state and the crime you committed.

• Not all states allow for records to be expunged- in some areas, you are limited to having your record sealed
• Many states have a waiting period, of as long as 5-10 years, before expungement is available. In such cases, you cannot get into any trouble during the waiting period if you hope to have your record expunged
• There are certain crimes that generally are not eligible for expungement. For example, murder and most sexual offenses like rape are not crimes that can ever be expunged from a criminal record

If you wish to have your criminal record expunged, it is a good idea to consult with an experienced attorney in your state who can help you to determine if you are eligible and who can assist you in going through the proper process of getting your record expunged.