How to Expunge a DUI
How Does a DUI Affect You
A number of people are always curious about the backround of people that they come across. This may include prospective employers and landlords, insurers, customers of your business or even some plain nosey neighbors. This is where any record of having been jailed under a DUI offence can create problems. So it is best to know how to expunge a DUI in any city you live in. Wherever you live in the country having a DUI or driving under influence citation on your record can lead to a lot of problems. This makes it necessary to contact a good expungent lawyer so that you can protect your reputation and move on in life.
Violation of the Law Will Create Court Records
Any arrest or violation of law can lead to court records being created which can include your photograph and fingerprints. Such records are aviaolble to the general public and thus accessible to any one who is offering you a job, leasing you an apartment, or needs facts about your general demeanour for other reasons. Quite often such cases against persons are dismissed, but the very fact that there is a criminal record in existence can prove to be a big hindrance in going forward. People will hold the accusation against you and consider you a person who is just that bit untrustworthy. This is when it can come in handy to know how to expunge a DUI.
Not Every Case Can Go Through the Process of Expunction
It is best to consult a good expungent lawyer when you are looking for the expungement of a DUI case against you. You can ask for such action if the misdemeanor has occurred before you were 18 years old or were convicted of possession of alcohol before you were 21 years old. The case against you should have been dismissed or you were found not guilty of the DUI offence. There are times when such an arrest has been wrongly made and the case against you has been dismissed becasue of the mistaken identity. You can also ask for expungement if a pardon has been granted in the case when it had come up for trial.
What Happens when an Expungment is Granted
A proper application for expungment of a DUI offence has to be made at the court where such records are being maintained. This is best done through experienced lawyers, who will be able to advise you on the tenability of such a process in your case. Once such an expungment is granted, your records are no more avialble to the public and will not be opened again without the orders of a court. This allows a person to truthfully say that he or she has no such blemish on record. It is however, likley that a similar offence in future can be considered as a second offence, which can then lead to much more stricter penalties and bigger jail terms as per the laws in the state you live in. Such an expunged cconviction has to be also revealed if specially questioned when applying for public office.
There are also certain websites that do maintain such records of arrest and prosecution and may even offer to remove them for a fee. However you can obtain a court order to force them to do so, without having to pay any fees.
Knowing how to expunge a DUI can come in handy and is a right that must be exercised if you are to avoid problems in the future. The legal process does however necessitate the services of a good lawyer, and even a car wreck lawyer can help in this regard.
