Latest Post
Blog
Tag

Record Sealing

Browsing
Juvenile Record

Are Juvenile Records Automatically Sealed in Texas?

By

The last thing you want is someone poking around in your past and judging you for the mistakes you made when you were a kid or a teenager. Unfortunately, juvenile records can be accessed by everyone from law enforcement to educational institutions. While laws vary from state to state, juvenile records are not automatically sealed once you turn 18 in Texas.

However, some juvenile offenses can be sealed fairly easily.

In cases where no finding of delinquent conduct was found on you, there’s no waiting period to have it sealed. This means you can petition the courts to have it hidden right away. If you have a misdemeanor adjudication and they found you guilty of delinquent conduct, you have to wait two years after you’ve finished your deferral. If you’ve waited that long and have no subsequent run-ins with the law, you’re free to apply to have it sealed. Juvenile felonies are a bit harder to seal; you have to wait until you’re 21. If you have no subsequent convictions or felonies and the case wasn’t transferred to criminal court, you’re free to file. If you received a determinate sentence or you were charged with an aggravated felony or sex offense, the records can’t be sealed.

Sealing your record comes with many advantages that will benefit you in your adult life. In Texas, as soon as your record has been sealed, you can legally deny the arrest or charge and treat it as if it never happened. You’re allotted the same opportunities as someone who has never been arrested, which is especially important for young adults who have a lifetime of job, educational, and licensing applications ahead of them. Additionally, law enforcement officials must act as though your record doesn’t exist when questioned about you. Juvenile records that have been sealed can only be opened with the permission of the courts for few purposes: to receive a license to carry a concealed weapon, inspect your own records, or if you are tried on another felony.

If the courts order to seal a juvenile offense, the records are then ready to be expunged. You are eligible to expunge these records if you’re older than 17—as long as you haven’t picked up an additional conviction since then.

For more information on sealing or expunging your record, call Easy Expunctions at 1-866-899-0266.

Keep Reading
By
Expunctions

5 Major Benefits of Record Expungement

By

  1. You can legally and truthfully deny the arrest.

Perhaps the most rewarding part of an expungement is saying that you have never been arrested. It’s a huge relief to live your life as if the whole thing never happened. Everything is restored to the way it was before the arrest, charge, and/or conviction. This brings redemption and closure to those struggling to escape from their criminal past.

  1. You can tell employers that you have no criminal history, expanding your job opportunities.

Almost every employer will run a background check before hiring an applicant, specifically to reveal arrest records and probation status. Luckily, employers and even potential employers are not allowed to ask about an expunged conviction. Additionally, an expunged conviction cannot be used against you when deciding whether or not to hire you. Not that they’ll ever know about it, because an expunged record won’t show up on their background check. Those who have been unemployed with an unclean record will tell you that this is the most valuable benefit of an expunction.

  1. Finding a suitable home will be much easier.

Landlords routinely run background checks on prospective tenants. If they see a conviction or arrest on your record, they may deny you. And if they accept you with an unclean record, they might still consider you an imperfect resident, which may prompt them to charge you a higher rent or a sizably larger deposit.

  1. Your gun rights may be restored.

Federal law prohibits felons from owning guns, but firearm rights may be restored after an expunction. 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.” Without a conviction, there’s nothing prohibiting you from owning a gun.

  1. Your finances will be drastically improved across the board.

It may seem redundant to pay for an expungement to help ease financial burdens, but this is a sound investment in your future. Insurance rates can be affected by criminal history, meaning that your rates can significantly increase with a messy record. Certain loan rates can also be higher based on your past. Additionally, most states ban people with convictions from being eligible for funded public assistance and food stamps. Everybody is entitled to this type of help from the State, should they really need it. Having a clean record will ensure you don’t miss out on public assistance.

Keep Reading
By