Expunging criminal records is a rather interesting option for people who want to keep other people from knowing they were arrested in the past.
However, expunging a criminal history record is not something simple to do, and it can take a lot of time to either seal or expunge a criminal offense.
Law enforcement entities promote this process and encourage anyone looking forward to expunging their criminal record to do it. Fortunately, Florida is one of the states in which the expungement or seal process is fastest, so people eligible to get their Florida criminal record sealed or expunged can do it with no problem.
Not everyone can seal their criminal record, though, so it's best for people to hire lawyers to address the whole process for them and tell them what the requirements to seal or expunge their arrest record are according to Florida law.
We are Erase the Case, and we focus on expunging and sealing arrest records, so you can rely on us if you want to prevent your future bosses or any other person from seeing what you did in the past.
Whether you decide to seal or expunge your juvenile arrest records or any other misdemeanor you committed, doing it brings you excellent benefits.
Take into account that many people and most business owners background-check their potential employees before giving them a job. Having a Florida record or criminal case under your name can make the district school board, bank, or company you are reaching out to reject you.
People can't study any arrest occurred in Florida that involves you if your record is sealed or expunged. Nonetheless, a sealed record can be checked by law enforcement agencies, a state attorney, or an arresting agency. The reason for that is that sealed records are only hidden from the public, but not for any law enforcement agency in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
An expunged record, though, is completely eliminated for both the public and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Getting your record expunged means that not even a state attorney can check it, and it doesn't matter if you pled guilty in the first place.
The average time that it takes to get a record sealed or expunged is not the same, but if you follow all the processes stated in the Florida Administrative Code and hire a lawyer to help you speed things up, the whole process can take from five to seven months. Although with Erase The Case, where we can expunge your record in three to five months
Things can change depending on the crime you committed and the circumstances that it involves. If you, for example, have more than one crime under the same criminal episode and you were found guilty of all the offenses on the court withheld adjudication, you can only choose one of the crimes in the case to get Florida expungement.
Take into account that some crimes don't allow you to get sealed/expunged records, so criminal justice agencies can't approve the whole process even if you plead guilty for those crimes.
Here are the crimes that can't be sealed nor expunged:
However, if you don't know if the criminal charge you committed is eligible for record sealing under the Florida statute or the Florida expungement law, it's best for you to seek legal advice from an experienced lawyer.
The first thing to do when looking forward to sealing or expunging a record is to contact a law firm or an independent attorney. They can help you at all stages of the process.
Your lawyer first needs to study your case and then contact the Florida bar and the sheriff's office to talk about the case and file the petition to expunge it or seal it. Things can change a little if you have a court order for a certificate of eligibility, but that's not a common case.
When your attorney contacts the clerk's office, the local governmental entity entitled to take care of the case studies your criminal history information and everything about you available in the criminal justice information system. If you are eligible for an expungement or a certificate of eligibility, the federal agency that addressed your case is going to contact your lawyer.
The process to seal or expunge juvenile cases is different since lawyers need information from the Department of Children and Family Services, as well as the Department of Juvenile Justice.
As you could see, the process to expunge or seal your official records can be a little complex, but if you hire a lawyer who is experienced and knows everything about the court system, you can get your file expunged in five or seven months.
Erase the case is always available to take your case and get you the expungement you need. Don't hesitate to contact us! We are ready to address your situation in the best way possible.
