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Did you commit a crime earlier in life that you did not fully understand the ramifications of? If so, it can be causing problems now when you're trying to find employment and dealing with other issues in your life. Thankfully, it is possible to have a felony expunged in some situations.

The expungement process will completely remove the felony from your criminal record so that others do not know that you were convicted. Even though the felony happened in the past, you will not have to worry about anybody being able to see the conviction when doing a background check. This can allow you to be more employable to others or even make it easier to be approved to get an apartment. Here is what you need to know about having this legal process done. 

Petition Filing

The process starts by working with a lawyer who will help you file a petition for your expungement. This will be done well after you've served any jail time for the crime, have paid fines related to it, and have been in good legal standing without any additional crimes since you were originally convicted. You'll need to pay a filing fee in order to submit the petition.

Prosecutor's Office Review

Your petition will then be reviewed by the local prosecutor's office. They will make an initial judgment about whether you would be a candidate for expungement. If so, your petition will then be forwarded to the court to receive a hearing date. It can take a month or two to receive your hearing date.

Court Hearing

A judge will review your petition and sign off on it if they approve of the expungement. This process is more of a formality but is necessary to get the judge's order for expungement.

Court Order Notification

Your lawyer will then work with the law enforcement agencies responsible for your felony conviction and notify them of the expungement. For example, if you were convicted by a city police department, they will be the ones that remove the felony from your criminal records. Your lawyer will make sure that all law enforcement agencies comply with the order. You should receive an official notification from each law enforcement agency when the expungement is complete. 

While the expungement process is straight forward, it all starts with the petition that you file. Work closely with your felony lawyer to ensure that you are doing everything correctly to give you the best shot at having your felony expunged.