In the US, criminal records are handled all wrong. Not all of the facts are laid out on your criminal record—just
the charges themselves are. This means that many charges on a record can be bogus. It’s very easy for people to live with no knowledge that an arrest from 5 years ago resulted in a criminal charge on their record, even though they were proven innocent in a court of law. Criminal records are built not only with convictions but with arrests that more often than not lead to immediate release from police custody. If someone is proven innocent, why should they have to jump through hoops to clear their record when their name has already been cleared?
Police are often accused of including multiple charges along with an arrest that eventually prevent the ability to obtain expungement, as one Milwaukee man found out. He was arrested for an assault, and two days later they decided not to charge him. The man had an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation and was made to pay the fines before the police released him. He then found out the police were refusing to expunge the assault arrest because the traffic violation charge was still pending.
The courts sided with the unfortunate Milwaukee man, and out of this came the new system of cleaning out the database of arrests that didn’t result in convictions. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will start expunging arrest records from its criminal database if the suspects weren’t charged. This will save a lot of people time, money, and create opportunities.
This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s an ongoing problem in this country. If you aren’t entirely sure about what’s on your criminal record, visit www.easyexpunctions.com for a free record check. Making yourself aware of everything on your record is the first step to clearing eligible charges. Easy Expunctions can help you take back your criminal record and take back your life.
