Being convicted of, or even charged with a crime can fundamentally change your life. It can make it difficult to get a job or secure housing. Background checks have become commonplace and few employers are willing to take a chance on someone who has been involved in legal issues over a candidate who has not.
Perhaps you made a mistake in your youth and you’ve been working to make up for it ever since. Do you really deserve to continue paying for your mistakes for the rest of your life? Does just anyone have the right to find out about your private, personal matters? The answer to those questions is a resounding, “No!”
Under certain circumstances, there are ways you can fight to resolve your criminal record so that it doesn’t continue hanging over your head like a rain cloud. An experienced attorney like those at The Medlin Law Firm can help you fight for your right to privacy and give you peace of mind for future background checks.
There are two ways we can help you fix criminal background issues:
Even if you were never convicted of a crime, or if you were convicted and subsequently pardoned, records of your arrests and charges can still exist on your background checks and prevent you from living the life you want to live. An expunction of your record is essentially wiping the slate clean.
You may be eligible for expunction if you were arrested but never formally charged, arrested and acquitted, convicted and pardoned, your case was dismissed or thrown out, or your conviction was overturned. If a significant amount of time has passed since the legal trouble occurred then you might be able to completely remove any record of those events that have happened. Once your record is expunged you can legally deny that you were ever arrested or that any charges were ever brought against you.
An expunction of your record can give you a fresh start and let you leave the past where it belongs: in the past.
As opposed to expunging your record, a non-disclosure agreement will not completely remove information from your background, but it can prevent potential employers and others from accessing the information with a general background check.
Non-disclosure options are available to those who received a judgment of deferred adjudication probation. These cases occur when a defendant pleads “guilty” to criminal charges, and the judge defers the actual finding of guilt in favor of probation where the defendant will be required to adhere to certain requirements. If this occurs, your background check would not show a conviction but it would show a record of the arrest, charges, and deferred adjudication. However, if you have complied with the terms of your deferred adjudication probation then you might be eligible for sealing the information from outside sources through a non-disclosure order.
This type of resolution for your criminal background is generally meant to be used by first-time, nonviolent offenders and usually has a waiting period of two to five years following the completion of your probation, although some circumstances will allow for a non-disclosure order with no waiting period.
If your circumstances match either of the above situations then you might be able to either fix or protect the privacy of your criminal record. Call The Medlin Law Firm to discuss the options available to you for resolving your criminal record and taking back your life.
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