Ending Employment Discrimination With An Expungement

If you've ever walked into a store and asked for a job application, you've probably seen it. That little section that asks if you've ever been convicted of a criminal offense and the nature of that offense. It's really not fair that your past offenses should be held against you if you've already served your punishment, but in the United States, there are few if any laws regarding employment discrimination for ex-convicts.

Expunging Criminal Records for Employment Purposes

So what is the solution for those with a criminal offense on their records? You can't lie on that form and say you haven't been convicted of a crime when you have, that would be a crime unto itself. But if you tell the truth, there's a good chance you will be disqualified for the position. There may be one more alternative: application for expungement of your criminal record.

Expunging your criminal record means petitioning a judge to make your criminal conviction disappear. The level of expungement may differ from state to state. Some convictions may simply be sealed so that only certain government officials can access the records. Others may be dismissed entirely, or have the record expunged. In these last two cases, it is as if the offense never happened.

Employment Benefits to Expunging an Arrest Record

The great thing about expunging criminal records comes when it's time to fill out that form. When you are asked if you have been convicted of a crime, if your crime has been expunged, in most cases you can safely and legally answer “no.” This means there is no chance of any employment discrimination based on your prior offense. Most people find that this makes it well worth pursuing this remedy. If you get a job that you would not otherwise have gotten without expungement, then procuring expungement services pays for itself.

How to Expunge Your Criminal Record

So how do you go about getting an expungement to clear your criminal record and make it easier for you to get a job? You could hire a lawyer, but this could be extremely expenses. You could try it all by yourself, but you'll have to hunt down and obtain all the proper forms, and you risk sending them to the wrong place or leaving something out, and this is not an area in which you want to make a mistake. The best alternative is probably to use a service like ClearUpMyRecord.com.com. For a fraction of the cost of a hiring a lawyer, ClearUpMyRecord.com sends you all the forms you need, tells you how to fill them out and lets you know exactly where you need to send them. All you have to do is follow the instructions and appear in court to defend your position if that is required by your state.

Getting Started with Expunging Your Record

To get started, you can just go to the ClearUpMyRecord.com.com website, set up an account and do the free eligibility check to see if you qualify for expungement. If you decide to purchase the service, you can get the forms right away and start the process. The amount of time between when you start filling out the forms and when your record is finally expunged will vary and be at least a couple of months, but when your record is clear, it is clear forever (assuming you commit no additional offenses). ClearUpMyRecord.com cannot guarantee expungement, but if you qualify and follow the instructions, you have a great chance to get your record clean.