Expungement is an important process that can remove a criminal arrest or conviction from an accused individual’s criminal record. For this reason, accused individuals who have a criminal conviction on their record and want to have it removed should be familiar with what the expungement process is and how it can help them.
What is expungement?
The expungement process, sometimes referred to as expunction, is a court-ordered process during which an arrest or conviction is sealed or erased. This does not necessarily mean that the arrest or conviction may not be visible to law enforcement in certain circumstances so accused individuals should be familiar with what those circumstances may include.
What can expungement do for me?
There is major significance to having an arrest or conviction expunged. Once a conviction has been expunged from an accused individual’s criminal record, it normally does not need to be disclosed any longer. This means that the accused individual will not have to disclose the arrest or conviction as part of an application for employment, education or housing.
How do I know if I am eligible for expungement?
A variety of factors determine eligibility for expunction and those factors may be different in different jurisdictions so accused individuals need to be familiar with the requirements for expunction where they are seeking one. Factors in addition to jurisdiction that can impact eligibility for expunction include the amount of time that has passed since the arrest or conviction and the accused individual’s criminal history.
The criminal defense process includes different rights and options for accused individuals as they proceed through the criminal justice system. Expungement is one of those options that accused individuals should be familiar with because it can potentially do so much for them.
