Expunging a criminal record in massachusetts

Brooke Courthouse in downtown Boston and clients can receive assistance with obtaining, reviewing, and, if advised, sealing or expunging their records. A criminal record can make it harder to get a job or find housing. See above for the upcoming clinic dates. Questions about the clinic?

Lawyers and law students are invited to provide pro bono services at this monthly clinic assisting low-income clients with questions related to their Massachusetts criminal record. Boston Bar Association Need a Lawyer? Sections Forums Industry Groups.

It can also negatively affect the outcome of your child custody dispute. When petitioning to have your criminal record expunged or sealed, it is often in your best interests to have an experienced attorney handle your matter. We are available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What Criminal Records Are Eligible for Sealing in Massachusetts?

Contact us online or call We are available to our clients after hours and on weekends. Our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm represents clients in the Greater Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.

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Practice Areas. Expungement of Criminal Records The expungement of a criminal record involves the removal or destruction of that record. In Massachusetts, there are only a few situations where a judge can order the expungement of a criminal record: When a criminal defendant is charged and convicted under the "wrong identity," the innocent person's name can be expunged from the record An abuse prevention order that was fraudulently acquired A delinquency case that was dismissed because of insufficient evidence can be expunged from police records What You Cannot Expunge in Massachusetts Criminal records governed by the sealing statute Criminal or juvenile records under the maintenance of the probation department or the clerk's magistrate office Abuse prevention orders that have been vacated Massachusetts Sealing Statute Once you are arraigned for a crime in Massachusetts, you will automatically have a criminal record—even if the charges are thrown out, the case is dismissed, or a jury finds that you are "not guilty.

The only exceptions to this are when the accused child committed a serious crime, for which he was treated as an adult and tried in adult court.

That creates an adult CORI instead of a juvenile record. Though they may largely similar information, juvenile records are more restricted than their adult counter-parts: only law enforcement and social services agencies, probation departments where relevant and courts can access a juvenile record.

A CORI is readily available public information — information that often wreaks havoc on the record holder's life in the form of employment, housing, and other difficulties. The information in a juvenile record is not public, though it can be used against the record holder if arrested again.

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Because juvenile records in Massachusetts are not destroyed once the subject reaches the age of 17, a record can significantly influence a judge's in setting bail or determining sentencing for any crimes, at any time, for the rest of a subject's life. Whether you really need to seal your juvenile criminal record depends on your particular circumstances.

The record is never erased completely, and unlike adult records, juvenile records are already unavailable to most entities or people that could cause you any practical difficulty e.

Remember, there is a 3-year waiting period, and in no case is the record destroyed.