You have a criminal record in Tennessee, but you know all too well that it does not make you a criminal. You also know how much your record can hamper your life’s progress. Have you looked into expungement?
The Marshall Project aims to help people like you understand the expungement legal process. Learn more about what this process entails and if it fits your current situation.
Your employment opportunities may not necessarily increase
One of the first things you should know about record expungement is that some employers may still learn about your past. What happens is that some employers, especially those in the legal sector, work with private information providers, who may have downloaded evidence of your record before it was expunged.
You still have to consider the internet
In this day and age, nothing is truly gone, no matter if you hit the DELETE icon or not. What that means is that while your record may no longer officially exist, there could still be a mugshot or crime story of you floating out in the internet. That is information you cannot get rid of.
You could become eligible for expungement in the future
Perhaps you have already considered expungement, only you learned you did not qualify. Congress’s Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act aims to make it so nonviolent juvenile offenses and nonviolent federal crimes are either sealed or expunged. One thing to bear in mind with the act is sealing or expungement depends on the person’s age.
This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.