Records of criminal court cases
are generally accessible by the public. This means that anyone who wishes to
gather information on a person’s criminal past, i.e. has access to his or her
arrest records, conviction records or charge records, can do so by visiting the
local courthouse. However, certain states in the US offer people with the
option of hiding or destroying their criminal records, so that they cannot be
accessed by others. Expungement and sealing of records are two methods in which
a person’s criminal record can be removed from being accessed by another
individual.
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While the terms “sealing” and “Expungement”
of records are frequently used interchangeably, there are certain differences
between the two. Sealing of records refers to a process wherein the court
records are present, but they are hidden from public view. On the other hand, Expungement
refers to the complete destruction of the records, as if they were never there.
There are many situations when an individual might want to have their records
sealed or expunged. This can include times when one is looking to appear for a
job interview, or apply for a driver’s license, or open a bank account.
Each and every state of US has
their very own regulations when it comes to sealing or Expungement of criminal
records. As a layman, you might not be aware of all the various intricate
regulations that might be associated with the process. So if you are thinking
of applying for Expungement of your criminal records, you need to get in touch
with professional lawyers for Expungement who can offer you reliable guidance
about the process in every step of the way. Some of the key aspects of sealing
and Expungement of criminal records according to the state laws of Colorado are
described below.
There are mainly four different
types of criminal records that can be sealed, namely:
- Dismissed criminal cases;
- Cases that involve some kind of drug offenses;
- Records of municipal code violations and petty offenses;
- Expungement of juvenile criminal records
Sealing of records for dismissed or non-conviction criminal cases
You will be eligible to get your
criminal or arrest records sealed if you meet any of the following parameters:
- All the charges were either dismissed or that you were completely acquitted of the charges. This can include cases where you have successfully completed deferred prosecution or deferred sentence;
- Only a single arrest record was there with no charges pressed, and its statute of limitation has expired;
- Your case was dismissed more than 10 years ago because of a plea agreement for another case and since then you have had no new criminal charges
Juvenile expungement of criminal records
According to the state laws of
Colorado, an individual is eligible for juvenile expungement of criminal records
only in the following circumstances:
·
Immediately after the trial if you were not
found guilty;
- After a period of 1 year, if you were arrested or given a ticket but no additional action was taken. You can also apply for expungement if you have completed an informal adjustment or juvenile diversion program;
- After a period of 4 years if Court has terminated the jurisdiction or if you got unconditionally released from a commitment to department of human services or got unconditionally released from a parole supervision;
- After 10 years, if you’ve been adjudicated as a mandatory or repeat juvenile offender and Court has terminated the jurisdiction or you got unconditionally released from a parole supervision, whichever occurs later.
For further information on
expungement or sealing of record Colorado, get in touch with a reputed legal
practitioner who is well versed with the related laws of the state of Colorado.