Is My Florida Criminal Record Going to Be a Lifelong Impediment?
July 17, 2019
There is virtually no doubt among legal authorities in any American state, including Florida, that a criminal record relating to what is considered a major crime (a rape, robbery or drug trafficking offense, for example) should permanently attach to a defendant.
What that means for an affected individual is this: If your personal criminal stigma links with what officials deem to be unlawful conduct of notable magnitude, data relevant to your charge and conviction will always be available for third-party scrutiny in the future.
That has obvious and dire implications, of course. Prospective employers will be quickly drawn to an adverse criminal entry. Ditto that for some apartment managers, college admissions officials, financial lenders, military recruiters and additional parties.
What if your conviction links with a crime that reasonably seems light years less serious than those enumerated above, though? If that is the case, does it seem even remotely fair that you be forever penalized by a past transgression?
It does not, of course. We note on our website at the established Clearwater criminal defense Law Offices of Hoskins & Penton that, “You are a different person now, and you deserve to be treated as such.”
One inroad for potentially ensuring that is securing on-point legal help from a proven legal team aimed at deleting or sealing your criminal record. Florida law provides for so-called expungement or record sealing in certain instances, with such a result having prospects for dramatically improving an individual’s quality of life.
We invite contacts to our firm from individuals seeking information on these important criminal justice tools. We duly stress at Hoskins & Penton that, if you are eligible for expungement or sealing, you truly can “put the past behind you.”