If you want to remove a black mark on your criminal record, you want to work with a Pennsylvania licensed expungement attorney who has a proven record of helping clients earn a fresh start in life. Depending on the type of crime that stains your record, it is possible for the conviction to limit your employment chances. A growing number of employers of all sizes have turned to criminal background checks to vet job candidates.

Pennsylvania law has defined instances when a crime should be removed from the records. Called expungement, the process for petitioning the removal of a criminal offense from the records requires the legal expertise of a criminal defense lawyer who specializes in winning expungement cases. Expungement attorney James Bonner encourages anyone that wants to start with a clean slate to schedule a free initial consultation with his office to determine the best course of legal action.

What are the Eligibility Requirements for Expungement in PA?

Under Pennsylvania statutes 18 Pa.C.S. 9122 and Pa.R.Crim.P. 320, there are circumstances when a conviction can be expunged from the criminal record. The circumstances mentioned under PA law can trigger an automatic expungement or require the administrative action performed by the proper court.

Here are the circumstances that can result in expungement:

“Court order for the removal of arrest-only and other non-conviction data.”

“Conviction was for a summary offense and defendant has not been arrested or prosecuted for five years.”

“Defendant successfully completed his or her Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.”

“Defendant committed a violation related to the illegal transportation, consumption, possession, or purchase of alcohol when he or she was over 18 but under 21, is now 21, and has met all his or her conviction requirements.”

“Defendant is 70 years or older and has had no other arrest or prosecution for 10 years beyond release from supervision of the court.”

“Person has been deceased for three years or longer.”

Pennsylvania law also prohibits expungement for certain crimes:

• Rape
• Sexual Assault
• Statutory Sexual Assault
• Aggravated Indecent Assault
• Indecent Exposure
• Prostitution

Types of Expungements in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania law clearly defines several types of expungements. To ensure your expungement case is resolved quickly, you should consult with an experienced criminal defense lawyer who will determine the type of expungement that best fits your unique case.

Here are the types of expungements in PA:

• Single summary
• Juvenile record
• Underage drinking
• Accelerated rehabilitative disposition
• Section 17
• Dismissed or withdrawn charges
• Acquittal
• Defendant is older than 70 years
• Defendant is deceased

For defendants older than 70 years or defendants that are deceased, we will work with relatives on the defendant to expunge a conviction from Pennsylvania and federal criminal records.

How to Obtain an Expungement

The first step on the road to receiving an expungement is to work with a highly rated expungement lawyer. Attorney James Bonner will file a petition in the court where you received a conviction for a crime. We also make sure to cover all of the fees required by the Pennsylvania court system.

You will need to provide Mr. Bonner with some information, before he petitions the proper court for expungement of your criminal conviction.

• Charge(s)
• Date of arrest
• Law enforcement agency that conducted the arrest
• Documents listing court-ordered programs mandated by a judge, as well as a record of the programs you completed

Expungement attorney James Bonner can acquire any information about your criminal case that you cannot provide his law office. In addition, our team of expungement litigators will help you complete and submit every form required to move an expungement request through the Pennsylvania judicial system. Since there are several different types of expungements, it is imperative that you file the right forms to prevent a delay in your expungement hearing.

Get the Expungement Representation You Deserve

After we file a petition for expungement, the Pennsylvania court assigned to hear your case will set a date for the first hearing. After we argue successfully for expungement, the court where your case was heard submits a document that orders the Pennsylvania Police Central Repository for Criminal History Information to expunge your criminal conviction from the legal record. The PA repository then communicates with other criminal justice agencies to ensure your conviction is removed from all criminal records.

Get the fresh start you deserve in life by formally requesting the expungement of a conviction. Contact our law offices today to schedule a free initial consultation with accomplished expungement lawyer James Bonner.