Expungement

How can I clear my criminal or public arrest record?

Do you have a criminal record that is interfering with your ability to get employment, a loan or a home? Are you even fully aware of what is on your criminal record? Would your life be improved if you had the opportunity to take advantage of eliminating your criminal record with an expungement or order of nondisclosure?

Many of clients are shocked to discover that even if they were only arrested/charged with a crime, without a conviction, they may still have the arrest/charge on their record, sometimes decades after the incident.

How to prevent your record from public visibility:

• A petition for nondisclosure, if successful, seals your arrest record to prevent potential employers, landlords or other interested parties from having access through criminal background checks.
• Expunction or expungement actually clears your criminal record as if the arrest never happened. Appropriate if you have been charged but never convicted or placed on probation, this approach fully clears your name.

Your options will depend on whether you have a misdemeanor or felony record and other facts surrounding your charge.
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When a criminal record is expunged, you can legally answer “no” to certain questions about having a criminal record. Expunging your record will make it unavailable to the general public, however, law enforcement and some government agencies will still be able to access it.

You may expunge certain misdemeanors & felonies, but there are some convictions that can’t be expunged in Ohio, including OVI/DUI, many violent crimes, sex crimes, and first/second degree felonies.