You could have been jailed for committing an illegal activity or you might got credited with a misdemeanor that you haven’t committed, you should know that the authorities will make a criminal record. This is something that will happen, even if they let you go without any punishments or if it was proven that you simply are not liable.
Now, the biggest problem with these reports is that anyone can view them, meaning that your potential bosses might see them as well. However, there is something you could arrange – you could opt for hiding the charges from being accessed by the overall society and this is something that is known as sealing.
In specific circumstances, you could even be capable of actually destroying the documents, which is a process known as expungement. Whether you can actually do this will depend on several things including what you were arrested and/or charged for, what occurred in that situation, as well as the time that has passed since the event. Keep in mind that a court is not able to refuse your sealing petition based on some overdue fines.
No matter if you choose to seal your reports or if you want them expunged, there are specific steps that you must take. And, luckily for you, this article will enable you to learn exactly what those steps are and what you’ll have to do during them. Let’s take a closer peek at what you need to do to seal these documents.
Step 01: First Things First – Obtain The Papers
The very first thing that you’ll have to do is get copies of all the things connected to the records. This indicates that you should collect every single document about the time you were imprisoned, what the charges were, as well as the results of the court. You can get these documents in your local court or a police station.
Step 02: Examine The Papers Properly
Once you gather everything that you may need, you might want to then take a look at the reports in order to determine whether you fit the requirements for sealing them or, perhaps, erasing them as well. This is something that may be difficult for you, especially if you never dealt with such things before – but, fear not, there is a solution for that as well.
There are various websites like RecordPurge.com that offer sealing or expungement services. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that you can hire a company that will submit your application instead of you. Hence, if you think that you cannot do it by yourself, opt for such services. But, if you think that you can, continue to the next step.
Step 03: Fill And File All The Forms
Each state has different regulations and rules when it comes to filing a sealing application, which is why you’ll need to do a little digging and see what applications you’ll need to fill. Next, you should present them to a clerk in the area where they apprehended you for doing something illegal.
Keep in mind that you may want to add copies of the dispositions as well, hence, ensure that you have them with you. However, before you head to their office in order to submit the claim, you might want to call them and inquire about how much is the cost of the submission, what sorts of payments do they accept, as well as the number of copies you will require. If you’re unable to pay the expense, you could choose to register a ‘fee waiver’.
Whatever method you choose for filing, the worker you go to will stamp it. Why you may be wondering? Well, the mark is going to act as evidence that it was registered with the right court. Once you go through that, they’ll then send the request to the state attorney, the police department that made the bust, the main legal officers at the site you were detained, as well as the state police. Remember to save 1 copy of the paper that was stamped by the worker in order to have it for yourself.
Things You Should Know About Filing a Sealing Application
There are some things that you should know about filing such an application, including:
You Can Choose From Three Methods For Filing
The first way that you can register a sealing appeal is to be physically there. For this, you’ll have to go to the court located in the place you were restrained in. As mentioned, you should give the initial document to the circuit clerk and then request the number of copies that you need. The administration will retain the original while you’ll be given a copy for yourself.
You could also file it through the mail. How? Well, it is quite simple, you should pack your original document and 1 copy that the worker needs to stamp. If you don’t require the expenses to be waived, you can simply send the documents and request how many copies you require. Don’t forget that you’ll have to leave your address as well and a branded envelope since they’ll need it for mailing the copies back to you.
Lastly, you can also file it online. Of course, you’ll first need to check whether or not they accept such applications and if so, you’ll need to respect the guidelines featured on the website. Again, you’ll have to pay the charges and expenses, and then you’ll finally be able to register your claim. You can keep reading at this link.
You’ll Have to Be Physically Present
If you, let’s say, have criminal records in several countries, you’ll need to go to those countries again in order to file your sealing application. One application should only incorporate the illegal activities you committed in one country. Additionally, you’ll have to pay the fees which can be higher than the ones you would have in your home country.
If You Relocate, Send a Them Your New Address
If you by any chance move while the case is still pending, you must notify the court about this, and more importantly, you should send them your new address as soon as you can. If you do not do this, you might never receive the notice of the court dates, and the court orders that you might have.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is not so difficult to apply to seal your criminal records. So, now that you know what are the steps that you’ll need to take, do not lose any more time. Instead, go back to the beginning of the article and then start with the first step which is gathering all your documents.
