How to expunge court records? To start with the process, you must file in a petition. To successfully file a criminal record expungement petition, there are a few steps and hoops to go through. Moreover, the formalities would vary across jurisdictions. The ideal first step is to get in touch with the justice authorities within the jurisdiction your conviction happened and seek details relating to expungement. You could also determine if an expungement truly applies to your particular case. Irrespective of the different jurisdiction variances, you could usually start by amassing everything required for completing the petition, such as funds to pay the fees and a couple of sets of fingerprints. It could also be handy to find a legal aide or attorney to help you with the process or peruse your petition for completeness and accuracy before it’s being submitted.
You must understand that expungement is an option not available to everyone. Generally, the law delineates the situations qualifying for an expungement. It could also explicitly state scenarios during which expungement could not be approved. This means you should refrain from wasting time and energy and ensure your conviction qualifies for expungement prior to applying for the same. Details pertaining to the qualifications are usually found online on a site belonging to the justice department of a jurisdiction.
You would also have to ascertain the location of your physical criminal records. Usually, the records are available with the court that convicted you. Contact the department or court owning your records and let them be aware of your plans to file an expungement petition. In several cases, they would have instructions and forms that specifically concern that jurisdiction. Make sure to carefully go through all the documents provided to you.
The petition-filing process won’t be simple. And since you would be dealing with a lot of legal processes and terms in the forms, it’s recommended you have an attorney taking your side. Remember, if you fail to execute the petition process right, all your efforts would go in vain.
Quite often, to complete an expungement petition, you would require several items. For starters, you must head to the police department and procure a couple of fingerprint sets. You would most probably require an arrest record copy and court record too, as these documents would have to be included within your petition. Even if those attachments don’t matter, the records have information usually required, such as arrest date, case numbers, and conviction date. Moreover, you would need funds to pay the necessary fee since filing an expunge petition isn’t free.