After being held accountable for your past offenses and paying your dues, the ill effects of past criminal charges and convictions can still linger. This can make life opportunities like securing future employment or applying for public housing more challenging. But don’t fret, there are ways to “tidy up” parts, if not, all of your criminal record. Our Maryland expungement attorneys are standing by to assist you in getting started.
Expungement is the legal process of removing criminal records from public inspection. In Maryland, records may be expunged from Motor Vehicle Administration files, police files, and official court records. Background searches done by employers, landlords and other interested parties should turn up no information on your case because the case will be removed from the Maryland Public Case Search database.
Find out more about how to seal your past convictions and get a clean criminal record. Talk to one of our experienced Maryland expungement lawyers today.
Our expungement attorneys proudly service the following areas:
Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Frederick County, Charles County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County as well as cases throughout the state of Maryland.
Maryland State Criminal Code §10–101 details the various situations in which a record may be expunged.
Defendants desiring expungement in Maryland are allowed to make the request if a guilty verdict was entered for certain public nuisance or non-violent crime. Regulations require that you wait 3 years after the date of conviction or after successfully fulfilling your probation, whichever is later, to file for expungement. Whether other cases can be expunged depends on: the type of disposition (verdict) you received, the date you received the disposition(s), and in some cases what you were charged with.
It’s important to note that not every conviction can be expunged.
The expungement process takes approximately 90 days from the time your petition for expungement is filed. If there is an objection or appeal to your petition, you will be notified and be requested to attend a court hearing. If your petition is not objected to within 30 days of filing, an order will be passed requiring the expungement of all police and court records regarding the charges in question.
For more information, see:
Examples of convictions that cannot be expunged include:
- If you accepted probation prior to a judgment being made but then later convicted of another crime, you are not eligible for expungement.
- The same applies if you’re found guilty or accepted probation before judgement to a DUI or DWI and anyone found guilty of domestic violence or a violent crime.
Examples of convictions that cannot be expunged include:
- Drinking in Public (Public Intoxication)
- Public Urination
- Transportation Violations (Often related to public transit such as trains or buses.)
- Loitering
- Panhandling
Don’t let minor mistakes in the past negatively impact the rest of your life.
Our expungement attorneys will help you understand the requirements that need to be met for expungement and what can and cannot be expunged from your record. Additionally, we assist you with filling out the paperwork required to file a successful petition.
Contact Hirsch & Cosca today for a free expungement consultation.