The North Carolina Felony Expungement Process
Today, felony expungement is very possible in North Carolina. However, there is need to understand that not every person is eligible for the expungement. This article will help you understand some facts about felony Expungement in North Carolina and the eligibility process.
Recently, North Carolina amended their expungement laws and this has made it possible for some felony convictions to meet the threshold. It’s through these new expungement laws that the North Carolina expungement process gets simplified. This has made it possible for a person to file their felony expungement petition sooner and not wait for long like with the old laws.
There are multiple conditions that makes the felonies that you were convicted off expunged and one of these ways is where you were not found guilty. At the same time, it’s possible to have your felonies expunged if the case against you gets dismissed. Generally, there are factors to be considered like your age when you committed the crime as well as the conviction that you received and these two are overly used in order to expunge your record or your felonies.
There are people who are eligible for felony expungement and others aren’t. Thus, keenness is necessitated when it comes to understanding the eligibility terms for the expungement. Basically, there are crimes that are eligible and others aren’t and before filing your petition, you need to examine whether your crime meets the threshold. Felonies that involve violence, sex offenses and drunk driving are not eligible whatsoever. Any crime that falls within Class A to Class G aren’t eligible whatsoever. However, where your crime isn’t eligible, you should ensure to petition the governor for their pardon. The governors pardon is not guaranteed and it’s just a gamble.
There are conditions that will determine whether you are eligible if your crime is eligible. The very first requirement for eligibility is being 18 years and above. This means that only people who are 18 years and above are able to petition for an expungement. There are other factors to be considered and this is having waited for the pre-defined time for the criminal record you need to obliterate. Where you need to file your expungement petition, you should have cleared all your court’s predefined charges or rather costs. These can either be fines or even restitutions and you need proof of payment. You should be free from criminal summons, open criminal cases and any parole or probation.
It deems fit that you hire an expungement lawyer once your crime and yourself meets the threshold. Basically, your lawyer plays an integral role hence the need to hire an experienced one. The expungement lawyer will examine your eligibility and that of your crime first.