EXPUNGEMENT

A criminal record can follow you for the rest of your life. An experienced criminal defense attorney can help you expunge eligible criminal records.
 

New Jersey law defines expungement as “the extraction and isolation of all records on file within any court, detention or correctional facility, law enforcement or criminal justice agency concerning a person’s detection, apprehension, arrest, detention, trial or disposition of an offense within the criminal justice system.”
 

According to the American Bar Association (ABA), expungement refers to “the process by which a record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed from state or federal record.” 
 

If you want to have a criminal record expunged, you are asking the court to erase your criminal record. Expungement is not a pardon. An expungement cannot lessen your sentence or forgive the crime committed. It is a process that a person can go through once he or she serves their sentence or is excused.  
 

If the expungement is granted and handled properly, it will be removed from all public access. This applies to potential employers, landlords, credit bureaus, and background check companies. After the expungement process is granted, you are allowed to answer “no” to any question about the underlying incident.
 

No one may disclose the existence of an arrest or conviction that was expunged. It is a criminal offense to do so under NJSA 2C:52-30. This charge is graded as a disorderly persons.