An expungement gives some Indiana residents with offenses on their records an opportunity to minimize the damage their convictions cause them and erase certain offenses from their records. For many people, having a criminal record serves as a barrier to finding jobs or housing. It may, too, cause some offenders embarrassment. Yet, depending on circumstances, some Indiana residents with convictions on their records may be able to ask for a record expungement once a certain period of time has passed.
According to WFYI, expunging a criminal record involves restricting it so that it only becomes accessible in very limited circumstances. When an Indiana resident has his or her record undergo expungement, this also prevents employers from discriminating against them as a result of the past conviction.
Determining eligibility for expungement
If an individual with an offense on his or her record does not have a suspended driver’s license or any additional charges pending, he or she may be able to request expungement after a certain amount of time has gone by. Many misdemeanor offenses may be eligible for expungement after five years. More serious offenses may become eligible for expungement within eight or 10 years.
Petitioning for an expungement
Individuals seeking expungements in Indiana have to petition the county where their original convictions took shape. Parties looking to expunge more than one offense from their records should request all the expungements at the same time.
In Indiana, an offender may only ask for an expungement once during his or her lifetime. Thus, it makes sense to ask for all expungements desired at the same time, provided they originated within the same county.