Expungements of California Criminal Convictions: An Introduction

After you've paid your debt to society for a California criminal conviction by serving a jail sentence, paying fines and completing probation, it's possible to clean up your record through the process of expungement. Expungement can improve your prospect of getting jobs, obtaining an education, and, perhaps most importantly, getting peace of mind. An experienced California expungement attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm can review your case and plan a strategy to have your criminal conviction expunged from the record.

At one time in California it was possible to have a criminal conviction expunged from your record simply by completing the requirements of your sentence and filing the appropriate documents with the court that convicted you. However, recent changes in California law now require a formal hearing in order to have a criminal conviction expunged.

However, once you do so, it's as if the conviction never occurred, with a few exceptions. This means that once the case is dismissed, you can truthfully assert that you were not convicted of that offense. There are some exceptions: this does not relieve you of the obligation to disclose the conviction in response to any direct question contained in any questionnaire or application for public office, for licensure by any state or local agency, or for contracting with the California State Lottery. However, the benefits of obtaining this relief far outweigh the exceptions.

Juvenile records can also be addressed by requesting that the record be sealed. Once this is done, the offense shall be deemed never to have occurred. There are no exceptions to this type of sealing; it is as if the offense never happened.

If you were convicted of a felony, it may be possible to have your offense reduced to a misdemeanor and then expunged. Other options include obtaining a certificate of rehabilitation, executive clemency, or obtaining a pardon. An experienced expungement attorney from The Kavinoky Law Firm can review your record and determine the best strategy to help you move on with your life with a clean criminal record. Contact us today for a free consultation.