Having a criminal record has many long-reaching consequences that can make your life harder long after you’ve paid the penalty for your actions. With help from Harris County lawyers, you can often get your record expunged or sealed to prevent others from discriminating against you based on your past actions. How It Can Help When you apply for a loan, apartment contract, or many other formal agreements, your record will be investigated to see if you are a good candidate. Expunging your criminal record makes it as though it never happened so you won’t be denied just because of something you did in the past. It’s also important to realize that if you went to trial and were found not guilty, the record of your arrest and trial will still be in your record. Even if you were determined to be innocent, it can still make some people less willing to trust you. This is a good reason to have the record of the arrest expunged or sealed. What Can't Be Expunged Not everything can be expunged from your record. Felonies in particular are often difficult or impossible to get expunged. In addition, certain crimes may only be partially expunged. For example, they may not show up when your landlord is checking your record, but you may still be prohibited from purchasing a gun. Getting Your Record Expunged On the other hand, if you’ve had an otherwise clear record, it's often possible to get a misdemeanor expunged after completing your probation or other conditions of your sentence. Minors who commit crimes can often have them expunged once they become adults as long as they’ve had a good record since then. Although you don’t need a lawyer to get your record expunged, it’s a good idea to get help in most cases. Your Harris County lawyers can help you prove to a judge that you are not likely to repeat the mistake, which will help convince him to expunge your record.
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