Helping to Clear Your Record

If you have ever been arrested for a crime, a record of that arrest is created and maintained by law enforcement agencies. In the past few years, the State legislature has made expungements more widely available for people that have been arrested. Whether you were arrested, charged, placed on probation, or convicted of a crime there are avenues to get those records expunged. The categories of offenses and dispositions of those cases are controlled by state statute and the lawyers at HCH are familiar with all of them. Call us today to see if you are eligible to get your arrest record expunged.

If you have ever heard the expression forgive and forget, essentially a pardon acts to forgive the offense and an expungement works to forget the offense.

A pardon is an act of forgiveness granted by the Governor for a crime(s) committed by an individual. A pardon is not parole or commutation and does not clear a criminal record but does acknowledge that someone has worked hard to become a productive, law-abiding citizen after making mistakes in the past. Some of the benefits include restoration of gun ownership rights, eligibility to hold public office, and the ability to apply for a passport.

An expungement works to forget the offense ever happened. It clears the arrest and any subsequent action related to the arrest from your history. This means that anyone outside of law enforcement looking into your past will not be able to locate any record of the arrest and subsequent disposition. After an expungement has been completed you can answer legally and honestly that the arrest never occurred. Some of the benefits include better employment opportunities, the ability to secure a loan, the ability to get a lease, attend a university, receive financial aid, secure a professional license, and most importantly, to maintain your privacy and not be judged by past mistakes.

Typically the process for the expungement takes 45-60 days.

An expungement does not restore your right to purchase or own a gun after a felony conviction. In order to do so, you must request and be granted a pardon for that conviction.