Sealing Your Texas Criminal Records
Sometimes a criminal record can limit your future possibilities. It can keep you from getting the right job, or from moving in to the right apartment. But a knowledgeable attorney can help you take action under Texas law, sealing these records and protecting your future.
At Bowen Law Group, located in Denton, Texas, we help clients with two different methods of criminal record expungement: expunction and nondisclosure. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your detention, arrest or conviction, either one might be the right fit for you.
What is the Difference Between Expunction and Non-Disclosure?
Expunction: Expunction orders essentially erase all records of the offense — arrest records, court records and criminal history record information — from your criminal record. Expunction is only granted in certain circumstances, however. These include when a criminal case was dismissed or when you were found not guilty after a criminal trial. People who are not eligible for expunction may still be eligible for non-disclosure.
Non-disclosure: When a petition for non-disclosure is granted, criminal justice agencies are prohibited from giving information about the offense to the public. Usually, non-disclosure is granted in certain circumstances, like when you have successfully completed a deferred adjudication. For many offenses, there is a waiting period before you can file a petition for non-disclosure. Some offenses are eligible for non-disclosure immediately.
Texas law also provides for the sealing of juvenile records. If your juvenile records are ordered sealed by the court, they are removed from the criminal history database. At Bowen Law Group, we can help with this and with other issues of juvenile law.
Contact Bowen Law Group
To talk about expunction or non-disclosure with a lawyer at Bowen Law Group, please contact our Denton, Texas, law office at 940-566-0606. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week so you can get quick responses to your legal concerns — especially when you need them most.