What is an Expungement?

An Expungement is a process by which a conviction or plea of either Guilty or No Contest in a criminal case is set aside and the case is dismissed. If you have a criminal record, it is possible to have it cleaned up. At our firm, we can help you through the process.

An expungement relieves the defendant of certain penalties and disabilities that result from a criminal action. You can file an Expungement petition after you have fulfilled all terms of probation, or have been discharged from the original term of probation, or have not been placed on probation and all your sentence terms have been completed.

An individual has a right to expunge his criminal record is he or she has satisfied a few elements. To expunge your criminal record you must have successfully completed probation, and not currently be charged with a criminal offense, on probation for a criminal offense or serving a sentence for a criminal offense.

In addition, you must have successfully finished your probation in its entirety or had a Judge grant you early termination of probation.  You cannot qualify for an Expungement if you served custody time in State Prison.  Our office often gets asked what it means to successfully complete your probation.  This occurs if a defendant has completed all the terms of your probation such as paying the fines, completing Cal-Trans, community service, and paid restitution. In addition, to get your conviction expunged, you must have remained free of arrest during the time of your probation. 

There are also certain crimes that cannot be expunged.  Many of these are sex related offenses.

Contact our office to determine how we may help you expunge your criminal conviction.