Many people convicted of a crime fear that their criminal records will follow them throughout their lives. However, in many states, criminal convictions can be successfully expunged, opening the door to employment and educational opportunities and giving the individual well-deserved peace of mind.

Many individuals convicted of crimes at one time are eager to clear their criminal records, but don’t know where to start. A defense lawyer from www.NotDrunk.com skilled in successfully clearing criminal records can explain how expungements work and get the process started.

Laws regarding expungements vary greatly from state to state. Some states allow criminal convictions to be completely wiped away, with a few exceptions, after a certain amount of time has passed. Some states allow only for more serious convictions to be reduced. And a few states make no provisions at all for expungement.

The process for clearing a criminal conviction depends on whether the offense was prosecuted as a felony or a misdemeanor. Misdemeanor convictions can generally be expunged once the individual has served his or her sentence and completed the terms of probation. Many states also require a waiting period.

Felony convictions often require a more complex expungement process. The first step is to petition the court to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor. If that effort is successful, a skilled attorney may then be able to have the misdemeanor conviction expunged. Just having a felony reduced to a misdemeanor provides tremendous benefits – for example, many prospective employers require the disclosure of felony convictions, but not misdemeanors.

Certain aspects of felony convictions will remain unchanged – for example, an individual whose felony conviction is reduced to a misdemeanor will still be prevented from possessing a firearm, because federal gun statutes supersede state laws. However, the benefits of this type of reduction remain enormous.

If a conviction occurred before an individual turned 18, and he or she wasn’t prosecuted as an adult, the expungement process will take place in juvenile court. Once this has been done, the offense shall be deemed never to have occurred. There are no exceptions to this type of sealing.