A criminal record can have a negative impact on your career, reputation, and even your ability to rent an apartment or purchase a home. Fortunately, Alabama offers individuals a way to clear their records, called expungement. In Daleville, AL, Donna C. Crooks Attorney At Law, a criminal lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, discusses how to take advantage of this opportunity.
Getting Your Alabama Criminal Record Expunged
Expungement
To expunge criminal records in Alabama, individuals or their criminal lawyers file petitions with the Circuit Court of the county where the original criminal charges were filed. The petition seeks a court order to destroy or erase the individuals’ arrest records of traffic and municipal violations, misdemeanors, and non-violent felonies. Only records of non-convictions can be expunged, not convictions.
Non-Convictions
A non-conviction occurs when a charge or case is:
- Dismissed
- Dismissed after finishing a pretrial diversion program or drug court
- “No billed” by the Grand Jury
- Concluded after a trial with a “not guilty” verdict
- Disposed of by another form of non-conviction
Records eligible for expungement include:
- 1st or 2nd degree possession of marijuana
- Driving under the influence (DUI)
- Misdemeanor domestic violence
- Possession of a controlled substance
- Any misdemeanor or ordinance violation
What the Court Does
If the court grants the petition, it orders all arrest and other records in the case to be removed from files of the court, law enforcement agencies, the district attorney, and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The records are sent to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) in Montgomery. The ACJIC keeps a copy of the records, which may be used under very limited circumstances.
If you need a record expunged, reach out to Donna C. Crooks for help. An Alabama family law attorney and criminal lawyer, Attorney Crooks offers vigorous representation to individuals throughout the Dothan and Enterprise areas. Visit her online today to learn more, or call (334) 598-9534 for a consultation appointment.
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