Law & Legal & Attorney Criminal Law & procedure

The Benefits of Expunction

In Texas, there are two methods that you can use to protect your criminal background information from the public. An order of nondisclosure is basically like sealing your records against the general public, while an expunction completely clears your records so that you can legally deny any criminal charges. Thus, an expunction can be more beneficial for helping you protect your reputation--and future--against any damages that your criminal background information can bring.

When you apply for employment, education, or other opportunities, people checking your application may be able to perform a background check on you and look at your criminal record. If you have any charges, even if they have been officially dismissed, they proceedings can still be on your record. This can affect your professional and personal reputation. Fortunately, though, an expunction can completely obliterate these records so that there is no trace of your criminal history.

If you successfully apply for an expunction, a district judge orders that any agency that has information regarding your arrest, charges, court records, or other criminal information must destroy their records. This process can actually take several months as the different agencies, such as the Department of Public Safety and FBI, completely clear the information from their records.

However, not everyone is able to apply for expunction. You may be eligible to have your records expunged if you meet the following requirements:


  • You were tried for a crime and acquitted

  • You were convicted for a crime yet later pardoned

  • You were charged with a crime but not indicted due to an expired time limit or mistakes such as false information

  • You have been released from custody without a conviction

  • You were not charged with a felony in the five years before the arrest in question


If you have a criminal record, an expunction can be very beneficial for your future. For help with your expunction, please contact an experienced Dallas expunction attorney [http://www.lassiterlawoffice.com/practice-areas/expunction/] from the Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today.


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