Am I Eligible for Expungement in Ohio?

If you were convicted of criminal charges, you no doubt have already realized that the consequences of a conviction reach beyond your fines, jail time, and other penalties. With a criminal record, it can be difficult to find employment, housing, and more, not to mention that it can put a strain on existing personal and professional relationships.

An expungement can seal your criminal record, making it essentially as though you were never convicted of the crime in the first place. It is helpful for first offenders and in some instances, people with several minor arrests. The process seals your criminal record and destroys all public documentation and court appearances. Once a record is expunged, it is as if the conviction never even happened. A person can legally check “No” if asked about a criminal record when filling out a document.

An expunged criminal record lets people get on with their life. Someone can apply for expungement one year after fulfilling the court requirements for a misdemeanor and three years after for a felony. The process can be complicated at times and it can be easy for someone to get lost in the system. An experienced expungement lawyer can get this done in a matter of a few months.

Ohio Expungement Eligibility

Not all offenses qualify for expungement in Ohio. If you go through the pretrial phase and your case is dismissed or you are found not guilty, you are eligible for expungement. The state of Ohio also allows the following cases to be expunged:

Section 2593 of the Ohio Revised Code lays out the requirements that must be met for expungement:

• Your conviction may be expunged – it is not precluded from expungement by law.
• You were not sentenced to a mandatory prison term in your conviction. (If you were, but were still eligible for probation, you would qualify)
• You have a misdemeanor conviction.
• You have a felony.
• You have two misdemeanor convictions.
• You have one misdemeanor and one felony conviction.
• Your conviction has passed the statutory waiting period.
• You do not have current or pending criminal charges against you.

Additionally, if you were found not guilty of your charges, or if your case was dismissed, you can also expunge or seal the records of your charges. After your charges or convictions are sealed, they will not show when your record is checked, except in certain circumstances by certain individuals.

Fight for a Cleared Name with DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder!

For more detailed information about your legal options, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our criminal defense attorney team. At DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder, we are proud to have helped many of our clients achieve positive outcomes in their cases and move forward from their present circumstances with confidence.

Find out more information about your case by contacting us today!