Expungement

Fresno Expungement Attorney

With the help of a Fresno expungement lawyer, you may be able to erase a criminal conviction from your record, making it easier to return to a normal life.

After you have been convicted of a crime, this conviction record can crop up uncomfortably during the course of future employment, or when you are applying for a scholarship or college admission. A few decades ago, the possibility that an employer or college dean would go through dusty old court files to find a criminal record linked to you, was highly unlikely unless you were seeking a security clearance.

That however, changed when large amounts of criminal information became available in massive databases. These databases are now online and are available to the public.  Just about anyone can now examine your criminal record.

There is, however, a way in which you can make sure that this information is not available to the public. An expungement allows you to get your record cleared permanently, by erasing the conviction.

Not every person with a criminal conviction may be eligible for expungement. Broadly, if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony offense in California, and have successfully completed your probation, you may be eligible to get your record expunged. However, you must not have been charged with another crime since that conviction, and must not be on probation or serving a sentence for another criminal offense.

Not all probation violations will nullify an attempted expungement. If you have been on probation, and received a probation violation, you may still be eligible for expungement, with the help of an experienced Fresno criminal expungement attorney.

However, if you were convicted and sent to state prison, you may not be eligible for expungement. Further, if you have been convicted of certain crimes including certain sex crimes, you may not be eligible for expungement.

While ruling on your expungement application, the court will consider a number of other factors besides your criminal history. For instance, the court may consider the seriousness of the crime, your conduct while on probation, your employability, your domestic situation, and your reputation in the community.