Mississippi Expungement Laws

The concept of obtaining a criminal record expungement is a decent one. If you were involved in a petty crime and it happened only once, you could be given a chance to start fresh with a clean record. More importantly, if you were arrested under false pretenses or had a criminal charge dismissed, you are also eligible for a record expungement in Mississippi. Being given a second chance is what the Mississippi expungement laws are all about, but there are restrictions. There's no such thing as a "free ride" for every convicted offender.

If you are a juvenile who was arrested and had your case tossed out of court or had the charges dropped, you can file for an expungement in Mississippi. You can't have any other pending charges against you and the original crime can't be for any type of drug violation. You will also have to wait until you have become 21 years old before you can file. For adults, your Mississippi arrest record can be expunged if your case was dismissed unless the charge involved selling, growing or distributing a controlled substance. With those charges, the record is going to stick. Additionally, a person who enters a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor charge can have their record expunged if they can prove that satisfied any court order punishment or probation.

The records that are expunged are everything that pertains to your arrest, trial or sentence. This will prevent anyone with public access from viewing these records. If the expungement is granted, it also allows you to state on an application that you were never arrested without lying. If you were arrested, charged or convicted of a DUI offense those records are not available to be expunged in Mississippi.

To obtain that expungement, you have to prove to the court that you've remained in good standing with the law. This doesn't mean having your mother testify that you're a good boy. You will need official documents and affidavits proving your clean record. You will also need any of the records from your case which show that it was resolved to the satisfaction of the court. Finding these types of documents might be a burden for someone who doesn't understand a court's filing system. That's why if you are seeking an expungement in Mississippi you should be working with a qualified attorney. With their help, you'll be able to streamline the process and get your life back on track in the fastest way possible.