For many residents in Minnesota who are arrested for criminal offenses, one of the biggest concerns is how long the event may interfere with their life. If a person is convicted of a crime, or perhaps even only charged with a crime but never convicted, the impact may last a while and cross into many aspects of life. Criminal background checks are routinely conducted for jobs, home rentals, and more. If a past offense begins to interfere with these things, you may want to investigate your options for a criminal expungement.
As explained by the Minnesota Judicial Branch, not every person arrested for or convicted of a crime may be eligible to have their case records expunged. It may happen that a person may qualify for some elements of their case records to be expunged, but not others. In a partial expungement, for example, the records from the court proceedings may be sealed, while the records from their arrest or dealings with the prosecutor’s office may not be sealed. In a full expungement, all records associated with the case may be sealed.
It is important for you to know that an expungement does not mean that all record of your case will essentially evaporate or be deleted. Instead, files will be sealed from most parties. Public officials, however, may still have access to the information.
If you would like to learn more about the types of expungements available, how to qualify for an expungement and how you may request this be done regarding your criminal case, please feel free to visit the full and partial expungement page of our Minnesota criminal defense website.