Criminal Records Wiped Clean By Experienced Criminal Defense Attorneys

Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes the mistake involves criminal charges. Having a record that is marked with a criminal charge will likely have negative effects on your life as long as the charges remain there. Financial institutions, landlords, schools, employers and even potential mates can easily access your criminal record online and form opinions and make decisions about you based on what they see there. If you want to avoid this scenario, you should contact a criminal defense attorney immediately to find out if you might be eligible to have a nondisclosure or expunction placed on your record.

Expunction is the term used to describe having a criminal record completely erased. An individual that is eligible for expunction will have their record completely including arrest record, booking photo, any DPS records, fingerprints and any other information associated with the arrest. It is only allowed in limited circumstances, however if you qualify and receive expunction you are then able to deny that an arrest ever happened. This will prevent anyone from finding out about the criminal charge and will save you from any negative results in the future.

You may be eligible to get your record cleared if your charge falls under certain circumstances. If you have been found guilty and convicted of a crime, you are not able to have this erased from your record. For example, if you are arrested and the case is never filed you may be eligible for an expunction. If you were found "not guilty" in a trial or if the case was "no-billed" or dismissed you are a good candidate for getting your record cleared. "No-billed" is when the case is not referred for criminal trial similar to the case being dismissed.

Sometimes crimes are committed involving identity theft. If your identity is stolen and a crime is committed under your name you are very likely to be able to get the crime expunged from your record. Also, more rare cases exist in which the Governor of Texas or the President of the US grant a pardon to an individual freeing them from their charge. This person would then likely be eligible to have their record cleaned.

When an individual has completed a deferred adjudication program, also known as probation, they may not be eligible for expunction but instead may be eligible to receive a nondisclosure order. This happens when the probation requirements are met and they receive a discharge and dismissal of the deferred adjudication. In the case of a nondisclosure order the records are not completely erased but instead are removed from public record and are inaccessible to certain private parties. Certain government agencies are still able to access the files in a nondisclosure situation, but private agencies will not be able to access the records preventing negative results from background checks by such people as employers, dates or landlords.

Legal terminology and legal processes can be very complex and expunction and nondisclosure are no exception. The process of getting your record cleared can take several months and must be done properly. Hiring an attorney with proven experience in this area is your best first move to try to clean your record and get a second chance at life. Whether you are able to get an expunction or nondisclosure, either option is much better than having criminal charges visible as part of your past. Consult a criminal defense attorney today and see if you might be able to have your life changed for the better.