Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDLynn
Expungement means different things under different conditions.
In Georgia, the local arresting agency will "expunge"/destroy fingerprint cards and photographs, the state will "seal" the information for non-criminal justice purposes and the courts can do either or nothing.
I tell folks EVERY DAY that it may be possible for employers, "third-party companies, and regular folks to get the information from the courts. etc.
Also, once websites like Mugshots.com get the info, you have to deal with them on a case-by-case basis.
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Basically, the general idea of "if you did it, it's out there, and anyone can access that information" I agree with.
In Pennsylvania, for Misdemeanors and Felonies, you can send in an application for clemency/pardon. IF approved- and the process can take up to 3 years- the county court in which the incident will be contacted by the defendant to begin formal expungement. When it is expunged, per the judgement in a Supreme Court case, an applicant can legally answer No to "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"
Summaries are expunged at the county level and most are approved for expungement within 6-9 months of petitioning the court in that county. When they are gone, they are gone off the record, but in this digital age with screenshots and all that, nothing is EVER really gone.
Which is why it's more important than ever to just NOT get in the situation!
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