A criminal record holds complete details of a person’s criminal convictions and arrests maintained by the US Police department and the criminal justice system. Stats show that every 1 in 3 American adults—almost 70 million people in the country—have a criminal record. This means that at least 30 million US kids have one parent with a felonious history.
Having criminal records limit your access to many things. From adopting a kid, renting a home, and traveling to driving and immigrating, an active criminal record can affect several aspects of your life. Stats show that nearly every 9 in 10 employers and 4 in 5 landlords run a background check before hiring a candidate or choosing a rental application.
Fortunately, in the US, criminal records can be expunged, sealed, or limited for public access under certain circumstances. Let’s find out more about them.
What is Criminal Record Expungement?
Criminal record expungement refers to the process of sealing or limiting access to an individual’s arrest and conviction records. The limitations to expunge a criminal record varies from state to state.
Generally, it’s easier to expunge a criminal record that contains minor misconducts or misdemeanors. But serious felonies, violent, sex crimes, or DWIs are quite difficult to expunge or seal.
How Can I Get My Criminal Record Expunged?
Most states offer some arrangement of criminal record expungement or sealing. But the federal government doesn’t have an outlined mechanism. If you want to expunge or seal your criminal record, you’d have to file a petition and appear in court.
Based on your record’s severity, you might be required to serve a waiting period without reoffending. While this process might seem simple, it can cost hundreds of dollars in legal and administrative fee.
Eligibility
Expunging your criminal record is akin to starting with a clean slate. Therefore, convicts need to understand the legalities and regulations that surround this process.
Start by checking your state’s criminal court rules or contact the law enforcement agency that handled your case. Here are some important questions you must ask yourself when applying for an expungement:
- Is my offense eligible for expungement?
- Have I completed the punishment sentence?
- Are there any consequences of expunging my criminal record?
Expunging Records with Drug Crimes or Juvenile Delinquency
People who’ve been arrested or charged due to a drug crime or a juvenile offense may have an easier path to expunge others. Drug crime committers are required to complete diversion programs with satisfactory results, whereas minor offenders can also seek expungement once they’ve reached the age of eighteen without reoffending.
Why Hire Us?
Sometimes, you can end up in jail even when you haven’t committed a crime. Since you’re the individual whose lawfulness is being called into question, you can’t technically assure for yourself and call it a valid assurance.
And this is where we come in. At DeLaughter Bail Bonds, we offer bail bond services across Indiana. Our agents provide 24-hour consultancy and follow up services to help you comply with all kinds of legalities and court regulations. Our services areas include Cass County, Hamilton County, Adams County, Lake County, and many others.
Get in touch to avail our affordable bail bonds services in Indiana.
