Criminal Law

Making the transition from time spent in jail to life on the outside is difficult enough without the added complication of having a criminal record available for public perusal. In additional to...

You may want a copy of your police record for a variety of reasons such as adoption, employment, school or scholarship purposes, or travel to a foreign country that requires a "certificate of good...

With a little online research, a written request, and by paying a small fee, you can obtain your own criminal history record. While the specifics will vary from one state to another, the general...

A background check is a history of all arrests/crimes committed by an individual, as reported by various federal and local agencies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A background check...

Criminal records are generally kept only in the jurisdiction where the crime and conviction occurred. First you will need to get a copy of your criminal record with a list of all previous...

Arming yourself with as much information possible regarding any criminal charge is imperative for both understanding your rights and having them defended accordingly. This holds true for DWI...

Contrary to popular belief about the legal system, warrants for a person's arrest can be issued for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons aren't very serious, legally speaking, and they can...

Disputing a federal criminal record is a vital step if there are any errors under your name and you're applying for a job or any type of loan. Most prospective employers or banks look to your...

Obtaining your federal criminal record is a fairly straightforward process. You may be doing it as a requirement for adoption or to obtain a clearance to work for a foreign government or in...

Whether you are leaving prison or sentenced to probation, finding a job is a challenging task with criminal convictions on your record. By law, employers can ask you about prior criminal...

If a prior conviction has been hanging over your head for a while, you might consider seeking an expungement for the crime. Usually, states do not consider expungement if the convicted person has...

It is not difficult to find your police record (or criminal record) in the state you are currently living in. Sometimes, if you have moved from state to state (and even from city to city within a...

Your FBI record is a record of information held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with fingerprint information taken during arrests, during applications for federal jobs, in...

If you are arrested, you are typically provided with a copy of your arrest record explaining why you were arrested and the facts surrounding the incident. Arrest records are often littered with...

An FBI criminal record (also known as an identification record or rap sheet), relates to fingerprinting during arrests, and in some cases, military service, immigration, naturalization or...

An FBI record, also known as a Criminal History Record, contains information about an individual's criminal history and is collected and maintained by the FBI. FBI records are typically derived...

Each state maintains its own rules about sealing or expunging records. You do not need an attorney to have your record and can complete the steps on your own. You must file a petition to "set...

A police record and a criminal record are different yet can overlap. Both can affect employment, apartment rentals, promotions and business licensing. Your criminal record can affect also your...

You can take two legal avenues to erase your criminal history. You can have your criminal record sealed or expunged. Every state varies on their procedures and regulations in sealing or expunging...

Having a felony on your record can make it difficult to obtain employment, pass a credit check, get approved for housing, vote or hold public office. Depending on your state of residence, there...

The length of time a conviction will stay on your driving record is important to people who are applying for jobs or for those who have jobs in which their driving record is a part of evaluations....

If you have a felony conviction on your record, you likely dread the prospect of looking for employment. By understanding how to get a job with a felony record, you will find the employment hunt...

Having a felony conviction on a criminal record often has a profound effect on employment, financial applications, and other opportunities that would otherwise be easier to seize. Fortunately, the...

Expunging a court record means the entire criminal conviction and all supporting documents will be sealed and no one will be allowed access without a court order. Wisconsin law allows courts to...

A conviction for a criminal offense remains on your record forever. The only way to remove the conviction is to have it expunged. With an expungement, your criminal record is effectively wiped...

Some states authorize a court to expunge a charge from a person's criminal record. Expunging a charge deletes it from the official records of the court and allows the person whose record was...

A conviction for drunken driving can have devastating consequences long after you have served your sentence. California law treats DUIs as criminal offenses, meaning you will have a criminal...

Expungement is the process of making your criminal record no longer available to the general public. It allows you to legally say that you do not have a record. In Georgia, you may be able to...

Anytime you are arrested and/or fingerprinted the information goes on your arrest record. This record is as important as your credit report and you should examine it and correct any errors on it....

Having a criminal record does not necessarily mean that you will be unable to travel, but certain criminal convictions may present problems if you are attempting to immigrate or obtain a visa. If...

The information in a criminal record is not just criminal, but some personal identification is included as well. A criminal record helps agencies, companies and individuals check a person's...

There are times in your adult life that you wish were not public information. For this reason you might want to have your adult criminal record sealed. If you have a conviction on your record you...

Certain tasks that you attempt in foreign countries require a criminal record check. You may need to prove that you do not have a criminal record in order to get a job, enroll in school, or adopt...

A criminal record is not something anyone wants to have. Like your credit report, your adult arrest record should be reviewed. Your adult arrest record is basically your "rap" sheet....

Few stigmas in American society are more burdensome than that of a criminal record. For a convict, finding steady work and housing may be difficult or impossible, and relationships with...

A person who has committed a felony will have a record that will stay with them for an extended period of time. A felony conviction, however, does not necessarily mean a life of hopelessness and...

The Criminal Offender Record Information Act (CORI) is a 1972 Massachusetts law that keeps every record of a criminal court appearance in the state courts. Every state has its own variation of...

You made a mistake, but it was a long time ago and you're a different person now. Or, maybe you were falsely arrested and never convicted but the record is still out there for anyone to access....

It can be especially tough to find a job with a criminal record looming in your past, but not all crimes have to stay with a person for his entire life. Having a criminal record expunged can help...

The FBI provides criminal records search services through its Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. This is the most effective means of verifying your criminal record (or lack...

Felonies are typically the most serious crimes in the criminal justice system. Felonies include such crimes as murder, rape, robbery and arson. Prison sentences upon a conviction can range...

I've been doing some research to get something cleared off for a friend of mine and thought I would share what I've learned so far.

Anytime you are arrested or convicted of a crime it goes on your record. Since criminal records are, for the most part, public, any interested party can see that information. In certain...

Running a criminal-background check on yourself is an easy way to learn what your official record looks like. You can obtain the background on your own or---if you don't want the hassle---use an...

Anytime someone is arrested an arrest record is created. If you are not convicted of the crime, or if a certain amount of time has passed, you may be able to have that arrest record removed, or...

When you have a criminal record, it limits your ability to find a job and a place to live. If you are limited by your record, you can seek to have charges and convictions expunged, which means...

Having a conviction or an arrest on your record can result in employment problems, trouble finding housing, and a myriad of other problems every time that a background check is performed. Even if...

An expungement proceeding is designed to have the records of a prior criminal conviction destroyed, eliminated or sealed. The common phraseology associated with this type of process is "expunging...

Getting a ticket off your record that was caused by identity theft can be a challenge. With patience and persistence, you can have the offending ticket removed from your record and clear you name...

The specific contents of a criminal record may vary between jurisdictions. Some states may only include crimes for which you were committed. Others may list your arrests, pending charges, and...