David Olson Law is here to help you get your life back on the right track. Here is some basic information on sealing or expunging a record.
Sealing and Expunging
After a criminal history is sealed, the general public will no longer have access to the record. According to Florida law, only certain government agencies will be able to view sealed information. If a court grants for your record to be expunged, it will be physically destroyed by criminal justice agencies, except the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will retain a copy. That copy is kept confidential and can only be viewed by court order. In most cases, it's treated as though the incident never happened. After a record has been expunged, any entity that would have access to a sealed record will see only this response when searching for your criminal record.
Eligibility
The rules for having a record sealed or expunged are fairly strict. One may petition to have a criminal record sealed if they were not convicted of a crime or if adjudication of guilt has been withheld. This process can only be done for one crime and may not be used to dissolve multiple incidents. Criminal records related to any of more serious offenses like arson, homicide, kidnapping, and certain sex offenses can never be sealed. Expungement is typically only available in cases where no charges were filed, charges were dismissed, or when the criminal record you want to be expunged has already been sealed for ten years.
Probation Lawyer West Palm Beach
When it comes to expunging or sealing a record, David Olson Law is here to help the process. Call today if you have any questions.