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If you’re under 18 and get arrested before your 18th birthday, you already have a juvenile record. This may involve contact with the police, whether at school, while driving or if anybody accuses you of an unlawful act.s
In Colorado, it’s possible to clear your record if you’re a previous juvenile offender. This is called expungement, which refers to the sealing of documents held on your criminal record.
If you’re a juvenile living in Colorado, the state offers you an opportunity to make a fresh start in life through expungement. During this process, your criminal records are destroyed, which grants you freedom from wrongdoing. After a successful expungement, you can deny that any arrest or charge ever took place. And if an employer, college, law enforcement agency wishes to conduct a background check on you, your juvenile court history will not show up.
Just like any other aspect of Colorado law, expungement is a complex legal process, which is time-consuming
If you intend to clear your juvenile criminal record, it’s a good idea to have a qualified Colorado lawyer on your side. A skilled attorney with experience in juvenile expungement will take you through the process until you achieve success in your endeavor.
Elements, such as your behavior after an arrest, your criminal history, and whether you completed your sentence, are some of the major factors that determine your eligibility for expungement. In most cases, you have to wait the following lengths of time before filing for expungement:
In the event your expungement application is denied, you’ll have to wait for at least one year before you can apply again.
You can tell potential employers, landlords, licensing agencies, and others that you have never been arrested.
However, it’s essential to keep in mind that expungement isn’t generally permanent. For instance, your record will be reopened if you’re found guilty of a later offense.
In addition, your juvenile records could be used against you during your sentencing. There are various favorable circumstances to expunging your adolescent records. Talk to our reputable attorney today to learn whether your records meet the minimum requirements for expungement and how you can have them erased.
It is not unusual to get in trouble with the law when you are young. However, having criminal records can affect your life a great deal. Talking to an experienced attorney at the Law Offices of Steven J. Pisani can help remove the cases from your record through expungement.
Our attorneys can assist you in understanding your options and protecting your rights. While not all records are eligible for expungement, most are. It’s critical to understand what can be done to help you and what cannot so that you move on with your life.
The process of expungement varies from state to state. In Colorado, you’ll need to file a petition with the court that handled your case. The process usually involves filling out forms, paying a specified fee, and notifying certain people of your request to erase your record.
As mentioned before, the laws for expunging juvenile records vary from state to state. Under Colorado law, expungement is determined by the following factors:
To qualify for expungement, Colorado, like most states, requires you to be at least 18 years old.
Usually, you can’t expunge a juvenile record until a certain period has elapsed. In Colorado, individuals can only file for expungement after 1-5 years from the time one was convicted.
The determination of juvenile records’ expungement will largely depend on the seriousness of the crime you committed. Many states desist from expunging severe juvenile cases, particularly those that are considered felonies.
Many states will not allow your juvenile records to be expunged if you had subsequent juvenile cases or adult criminal convictions. Or if criminal cases are pending against you.
Fortunately, Colorado has many juvenile records that qualify for expungement. It’s important to keep in mind that expungement does not involve destroying your record. Instead, it refers to sealing and treating your juvenile records as though they never existed.
It is important to note that any arrest and appearance in a court of law will become part of your record, even if the charges are eventually dropped, or you are found not guilty after your trial.
Even if you successfully expunge a juvenile record, your arrest and a subsequent trial will appear during a background check for employment, professional licensing, or security clearance. This may adversely affect your situation.
If you plan to apply for a juvenile expungement or your records, call the Law Offices of Steven J. Pisani today to schedule a free consultation.