If you commit a crime and that offense is removed from your record it is called an expungement. There are specific rules about which offenses are eligible for expungement and which are not. Detailed guidelines must be fulfilled for a judge to expunge the record of a person convicted of a crime.

Significance

Expungement means the arrest or conviction is sealed or removed from the criminal record. A person who fulfilled the court-mandated prerequisites for probation or parole may have this information stricken from their public record.

Benefits

If your record is expunged you can now legally respond in applications for employment, housing, and any other forms that you have no criminal record. You may respond as if the former arrest and conviction never happened.

Types

Expungements are available for both misdemeanor and felony offenses.

Process

Once the probationary period has been successfully completed and the judge has released the probationer, a petition for expungement may be filed. A guilty or no contest plea can be withdrawn and a not guilty plea can be entered into the record. The judge can dismiss the charges and release the penalties of the prior conviction.

Misconceptions

Expungement does not mean the person on probation is allowed to keep their prior conviction hidden in all cases. Direct questions contained in questionnaires or applications for public office, for licensing from any state or local agency must by answered honestly. You must reveal the offense and state that the record was expunged.

Source:

Felony Expungement