How to Clear Your Adult & Juvenile Criminal Records
- 1). Get a set of fingerprints from the police station in the state in which you were convicted. Tell the officer you are applying for expungement so he can use the appropriate fingerprint card.
- 2). Go to the court in which you were convicted and ask the clerk for a certified copy of your judgment. The judgment shows what you were convicted of and when. Some states require the clerk's seal on that document for further processing.
- 3). Fill out the expungement application appropriate to your court. Adult and juvenile convictions require different applications, both of which can be obtained from the court clerk.
- 4). Obtain a money order and make it out to the appropriate party. Many states require a money order to cover the cost of state and FBI background checks that ensure you only have one conviction against you.
- 5). Show that you have rehabilitated yourself. Different judges will handle expungement cases differently. Some will grant expungement without asking questions, while others will want proof of your rehabilitation efforts. General ways to show rehabilitation are letters of recommendation from employers, copies of diplomas or certificates from trade schools, or proof of volunteer hours at a local church.
- 6). Organize all of the above items into a packet. Take that packet to your court clerk and file them as appropriate. Different states have varying rules as to which office requires documents from your packet. Follow those rules very precisely and wait for a court hearing to be set.
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