Expunction: Denying the Past, Starting Fresh

Expunction: Denying the Past, Starting Fresh

Criminal RecordWhat if you were arrested for a crime that you did not commit? You will appear in a few court hearings, and eventually get cleared due to lack of evidence. Once you apply for a job, you may only end up being turned down after your prospective employers start a background check on you. If only your criminal record did not exist, you might have a chance to secure a mortgage, obtain an auto loan, and have a shot to provide a decent life for your family.

Your criminal history may haunt you forever, but it is not something you have to live with until you grow old. In Texas, you have the right to seal, or ever erase, your criminal record completely through expunction and face the world without receiving discrimination.

Expunction in Layman’s Terms

This is a legal remedy that allows you to have your criminal information listed under your name destroyed. Criminal lawyers in Houston can help you petition for expunction, but its approval heavily depends on certain circumstances. Generally, you may be eligible for this option if your case results into:

  • No Conviction – If your arrest did not result in a conviction, then it may be erased as if it never actually happened.
  • Dismissal – If your case got dismissed because of insufficient evidence and unavailability of key witnesses among other factors.
  • No Bill – If the grand jury disagreed that the evidence does not sufficiently support the criminal charges filed against you.
  • Acquittal – If the court judged you “not guilty” of the offense charge against you.
  • Clemency – If you were convicted and pardoned later.
  • Deferred Adjudication – If you pleaded “No Contest” or “guilty” to the criminal charges filed against you, but only if you committed a Class C misdemeanor case.

Society can quickly turn its back on you just by having the term “criminal” attached to your identity. Guilty or not, you deserve a second chance, and expunction may clear your name for good.

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