Having a criminal conviction on your record can present several challenges in your life. You might not be able to hold the job you want, and you may find that renting a home is difficult. While there isn’t much you can do about this while you are completing your sentence, there is a chance that you might be eligible to have the conviction expunged from your record.
There are only certain cases that are eligible for expunction. If you are interested in getting this done, your first step should be to find out if your case qualifies. This is based on several factors, which can include:
- Successful completion of your sentence
- Specific time elapsing since the completion
- Petitioning the court and gaining approval
You should realize that there are some limitations to what an expunction can do for you. In a nutshell, a successful petition for the record to be expunged will seal the record. It won’t show up on official background checks that are done by employers and landlords. The conviction could still show up in other places, including on background checks done during future criminal proceedings and those that are necessary for a government security clearance.
If you are interested in expunction, you should review the process for this to happen. You will have several responsibilities during the procedure. Making sure that you comply with each one is imperative. In some cases, it is possible to have a criminal charge expunged if it didn’t result in a conviction, so this is another situation in which you might want to explore the possibility.
