Can All Criminal Convictions Be Expunged?

Once you've served your time or other penalty for a criminal conviction, you'd probably like to leave it all behind you. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work that way. Criminal convictions tend to follow you around wherever you go, making it hard to get on with your life. Fortunately, there is hope. Expungement is a way to clear your record so that your criminal conviction is effectively wiped away, allowing you to get a fresh, clean start in your life.

Can All Criminal Convictions Be Expunged?

Unfortunately, no. The purpose of expungement is to give individuals who may have made one unfortunate mistake a second chance. However, there are some circumstances or offenses where the state or Federal government may decide that an individual is not entitled to such a chance.

Circumstances Where Expunged Records Are Unlikely

Circumstances which will hurt your chance of an expunged record include multiple offenses. If you have been convicted of another offense between the time you received your first conviction and the time you apply for expungement, your petition will almost certainly be denied.

Offenses That Do Not Qualify for Expungement

While these offenses will vary from state-to-state, if you have been convicted of a special felony such as rape, child molestation, or other sexually based offenses or offenses involving children, expungement will generally not be an option for you.

Criminal Convictions Expunged in Your State

A crime that is eligible for expungement in one state may not be eligible in another. Each state has independent laws and rules for expungement. If you have been convicted of a Federal crime, you are subject to national rules regarding expungement irrespective of which state you committed your crime in. Also, each state handles expungement in different ways. Some may seal your record, others may set aside your verdict, others may expunge your record. Regardless of the legal terminology, in most cases a successful expungement proceeding means you will be able to treat the conviction as if it never existed.

How Do You Know if Your Criminal Conviction Can Be Expunged?

Well, you could do some lengthy and potentially frustrating and/or confusing legal research, OR, you could go to ClearUpMyRecord.com and use their free eligibility check. Just set up an account, click the link and follow the prompts. In virtually no time at all you'll know whether you can have your record expunged in the state of your offense. Once that's done, the next step is to apply for expungement. ClearUpMyRecord.com can help here too. If you decide to pursue expungement with ClearUpMyRecord.com, you will be sent an application packet with all the forms you need to request expungment, along with information on just how to fill everything out and information on where to send it. You might need to appear in court at some point to finalize things, but if the judge accepts your petition, you are free and clear.

More About Expunged Criminal Convictions

Remember that although this is a legal proceeding, ClearUpMyRecord.com is not a law firm or litigating entity. However, for this process, you don't need a lawyer, and to hire one would be far more expensive than doing it yourself with ClearUpMyRecord.com. There's no guarantee that your record will be expunged, but if you pass the eligibility check, fill out the forms correctly and show up in court as required, there's a great chance that you'll get that clean slate you've been hoping for.