Erie, PA Expungement Lawyers

Tenacious Expungement Lawyers Represent Clients Convicted of Past Crimes in Erie, Pennsylvania

If you were arrested or convicted of a crime in the past, you already know that a criminal history can and will come back to haunt you, sometimes when you least expect it.  Even an arrest without conviction can show up on a routine criminal background check in Erie, and disclosing this fact every time you apply for a job or a place to live forces you to relive what was perhaps an isolated incident in your past again and again.  Fortunately, under Pennsylvania law, you may have the option of pursuing a claim for expungement with the courts.

Expungement essentially wipes the slate clean for eligible individuals.  Once your record has successfully been expunged, it is as though you were never involved with the criminal justice system in the first place—you no longer have to disclose a conviction on a job application, credit check or elsewhere, and your arrest will not appear if you are required to submit to a background check.

At Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C., our dedicated expungement lawyers have been helping clients get the fresh start they need to move forward from their criminal history for decades.  We know how critical that clean slate can be, and so we work tirelessly to obtain expungements for all eligible clients. If you would like to explore options for clearing your record via the expungement process in Erie, Meadville or elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania, call our offices today to take action to protect your future.

Establishing Eligibility for Expungement in Meadville, PA

To begin the expungement process, it is first necessary to gather basic information related to the crime for which you were arrested or convicted, including evidence of how, where and when the case was resolved, in order to complete the initial petition for expungement.  While expungement is a powerful tool, it is not available in every single case. You may be eligible for expungement if:

• Your case was dismissed or withdrawn,
• You were found not guilty by a judge or jury,
• You committed a summary offense more than five years ago and have not been arrested in the interim period,
• You were convicted of underage drinking and have since turned 21 and satisfied all other elements of the assigned punishment,
• You were convicted of a crime as a juvenile, and have since turned 18 (or five years have passed with no further criminal activity on your record),
• You successfully completed the Pennsylvania Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program (which generally applies in cases involving non-violent crimes, such as DWI), including payment of all related costs,
• A temporary protection from abuse order was filed against you, but never finalized,
• You have received a pardon from the Pennsylvania governor,
• You have reached age 70 and have not been arrested or prosecuted for any criminal offense for ten years after final release from jail or supervision,
• A period of three years has passed since the individual who was convicted, charged or arrested died.

Under Pennsylvania law, certain crimes cannot be removed from your record via the expungement process.  For many felony crimes, it may first be necessary to obtain a pardon from the governor before you can pursue an expungement.