Wiping the Slate Clean: Expunge Your NC Criminal Record

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, “Felons whose convictions have been set-aside or expunged, or for which the person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored” are not considered “convicted” and thus they would not be prohibited from owning a gun.

Ready to close the books on a past crime? You might be able to clean your criminal record in North Carolina with an expungement.

What is Expungement of a Criminal Record?

An expungement is a type of suit that you can bring before a court if you are a prior criminal offender.

In an expungement case, you would ask a judge to make your criminal record unavailable in state and federal records. Typically, if you win, your criminal record is removed; however, in some areas, your criminal record might still be available to law enforcement, sentencing judges, immigration officials or correction facilities.

Is Expungement the Same as a Pardon?

An expungement allows you to wipe the slate clean on your criminal conviction. Basically, if you successfully expunge your criminal record, you can move on as if your conviction never occurred. Generally, this means the conviction no longer shows up during a criminal record check.

A pardon, on the other hand, stays on your criminal record. A pardon constitutes forgiveness of a conviction, but does not remove it from your record. Instead, the pardon would appear as part of your criminal history.

Also, while only a judge can issue an expungement, a governor, attorney general, secretary of state, or even the President might issue a pardon.

What are the Benefits of Expungement?

Expungement has a big benefit to a prior criminal offender. If you expunge your criminal conviction from your record, the conviction is no longer public information.

An expunged conviction will not show up on your criminal record and therefore won’t show up on background checks. So, the next time a potential employer wants to perform a criminal background check before hiring you, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your expunged criminal offense won’t show up in their search and you can decide for yourself whether you want to share that aspect of your past. Via DMV.org

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