Restore Your Good Name
A criminal arrest or conviction can destroy your reputation. Every time a prospective employer, landlord, or someone else does a background check, they may discover you were arrested or convicted of a crime. Even dismissed charges can appear in background checks and cause problems if someone assumes you “got away with” a crime or fails to realize that it was dismissed.
Indiana’s Second Chance Expungement Law
Indiana has a “Second Chance” law to allow eligible individuals to file to expunge their convictions once in their lifetime. Because you only get one second chance, any forgotten or omitted offenses may remain on your record forever. You need a thorough and detailed lawyer who will do it right the first time.
Eligibility to Expunge Convictions
In order to be eligible, most people must successfully complete their sentence, wait for a period of time without a conviction, and not be facing any active charges or investigations. Some people may be ineligible due to specific disqualifying crimes or other uncommon disqualifiers such as holding or seeking political office.
Most misdemeanors are eligible for expungement after five years. Felonies are generally eligible after eight years if they did not include serious bodily injury or ten years if the crime resulted in serious bodily injury. Some serious felonies are only expungable at the discretion of the judge, so a contested hearing may be necessary.
How to Expunge Arrests and Dismissed Cases
Even if your case was dismissed or charges were never filed, a background check may still reveal you were charged with a crime and can harm your reputation. Many people will simply believe you “got away with it” and hold a dismissed case against you.
To fix this problem, Indiana allows people to file to expunge arrests and cases which were dismissed. As long as the case is dismissed, one year has passed since the case was started, and you are not on pretrial diversion, you may qualify for an expungement. You will even be exempt from paying a filing fee to the court.
How the process works
A Petition for Expungement must be filed in each county where you have been convicted. The Petition must include detailed information to help the court identify you and the cases you want to have expunged. Once filed, the state will notify the victims and may request a hearing. Depending on your circumstances, some expungements are granted without a hearing. Depending on your background, you may have to file petitions in multiple counties.
Contact a Putnam County Expungement Attorney Today
Contact the expungement lawyer at Waite Law Office LLC to discuss how to restore your good name. Attorney Waite will review your criminal history and discuss your case with you in order to determine if you qualify. The consultation is free and payment plans are available. Contact us at (765) 252-4600 today.