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Why it’s important to clear your record
If it is not sealed, your criminal record follows you everywhere like an unwanted dark cloud. If you apply for a job, the potential employer has every right to ask if you have been convicted of a felony. If you answer ‘yes,’ you may be turned down for the position not because your crime has anything to do with the job you are applying for, but simply because other applicants do not have a criminal record. Sometimes it is just a matter of comparisons and a person with an arrest record or conviction is less desirable than a person without.
In other situations you may find yourself denied positions that fit with your skills, causing you much suffering in your professional life. Perhaps you were arrested for on a reckless driving charge, but were not convicted. In some jurisdictions a potential employer would view dismiss you as a potential employee based on that arrest, even though you were not convicted. Expungement relieves the stress of wondering if that is the reason you were not given a job and lets you focus on presenting yourself in your best light.
Perhaps you are applying to college and have a drunken driving arrest on your record, but were not convicted as the state could not prove that your blood-alcohol content was at the legal limit. Your charges were dismissed, but that arrest sends up a red flag with college administrators. They usually have a huge pool of potential students from which to choose – why take a chance with someone who has an arrest record?
Your confidence will increase if you do not feel like a convicted criminal. You can get a fresh start on life, free of your past mistakes.
If you have been convicted of a felony, you cannot vote, possess a firearm, or hold public office. These rights are precious freedoms and worth fighting for. Clearing your record means your rights as a citizen are restored. Financial aid is often denied to someone with a criminal record, including access to public housing. Your insurance and bank loan rates can be affected by a criminal history. You may be denied the ability to emigrate to another country or apply for a visa to work overseas, including traveling into Canada. Many jobs require a person to be bonded to work: cleaning houses with larger, better-paying companies requires a person to be bondable; many subcontractors hiring workers to deal with expensive equipment, drive valuable machinery and handle accounts on behalf of the company require bonding. It is much more expensive to bond a person who has a criminal record. Your custody and visitation rights regarding your children or adoption possibilities may be affected if you hold a criminal conviction.
Don’t limit your life options. Apply to have your record expunged by working with a professiona attorney. |
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