Clear My Record: What Goes on a Criminal Record?

A criminal record is a report that contains any prior charges and convictions that a person may have received. When someone is said to “have a criminal record”, it usually means that they have been convicted of some sort of crime and the record of that crime can be found by conducting a public records search.

In general, the following items may appear on a person’s criminal record:

Having a criminal record can have a serious impact on a person’s life. It can prevent them from getting a job, renting an apartment, obtaining custody of their child, or taking other actions. Thus, many people will attempt to have their criminal record cleared.

A criminal record can be cleared in one of two ways: either by having the record sealed or getting the crimes expunged. The difference between the two is that the former closes off the record from public access, whereas the latter makes it seem as if the conviction or arrest never existed.

  1. Can Everything Be Cleared From My Criminal Record?
  2. How Do You Clear Your Criminal Record?
  3. Is Sealing Your Record the Same as Clearing Your Record?
  4. How Do You Know If Your Criminal Record was Cleared?
  5. Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer If I Want to Clear My Criminal Record?

Can Everything Be Cleared From My Criminal Record?

Each state has its own set of laws and requirements for determining whether a person’s criminal record will be eligible for clearance. As such, it follows that many of the specific procedures and rules involved will vary according to the state.

There are some factors, however, that will remain the same throughout most states, such as completing an assigned rehabilitation program or paying any mandatory fines, before a person is eligible to apply for clearance.

Additionally, there are also certain situational elements that a court may look at when analyzing whether a person is entitled to clearance like whether the person is a first time or repeat offender, or how much time has passed since they were convicted of the crime.

It is extremely important to keep in mind that not every crime can be cleared from a criminal record. In most cases, the more serious the offense, the less likely that it will be eligible for clearance.

Felonies (as opposed to misdemeanors) typically pose the greatest challenges to removal and usually can only be removed when they are considered a lesser felony offense. In general, the following felonies are normally not eligible for expungement:

How Do You Clear Your Criminal Record?

Whether a criminal record can be cleared or not will largely depend on the laws of a particular state and the nature of the crime charged. As such, a crime that may be eligible for clearing from a record in one state may not be entitled to such a privilege in another.

Generally speaking, the steps to getting a criminal record cleared will include some of the following procedures: