CRIMINAL DEFENSE
Criminal Records
Expunctions And Expungement Of Criminal Records
If you have ever been arrested, that record can continue following you for years unless you take action to remove it. An expunction can clear eligible criminal-arrest records from public view.
An expunction is a court order directing that records relating to an eligible arrest be destroyed and prohibiting further release of that information. When granted, it can allow you to legally deny that the arrest ever occurred. The process begins with a petition, proceeds to a hearing, and often takes several months to work its way through every agency and background-check source.
Eligibility is governed by Chapter 55 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Common qualifying situations include a not-guilty verdict, a pardon after conviction, charges that were dropped or never filed, a statute of limitations that has expired, or a reduction to a Class C misdemeanor.
Even when charges were dropped or never filed, the arrest record often still exists and may appear during employment, school, housing, or loan background checks. Expunction can prevent an old arrest from continuing to damage your opportunities and can finally close the door on that incident.
