Miscellaneous 

Does expungement actually work?

Leia Doyle

Does expungement actually work?

In a Nutshell: Expungement has legitimate value for employment purposes and recently, due to recent new laws, in professional licensing. However, expungement does not erase, delete, remove or, like a sponge cleaning up a spilled drink, restore one’s record to appear like nothing happened.

How long does expungement take in Florida?

The average time to complete a Florida record sealing or expungement is 5-7 months on average. The length of time depends on various factors: Whether your case is going to be a sealing or expungement (expungements take a bit more time due to additional legal requirements);

What is the purpose of expungement?

An expungement order directs the court to treat the criminal conviction as if it had never occurred, essentially removing it from a defendant’s criminal record as well as, ideally, the public record. It is important to clarify that expungement is not “forgiveness” for committing a crime—that is a legal pardon.

How much does it cost to have your record expunged in Florida?

An expungement costs (this does not include attorneys fees) about $124.00. This can be broken down in the following way: 1) $75 fee to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). This is the state agency that approves your expungement or sealing application.

Do I qualify for expungement in Florida?

To qualify for a Florida Record Expungement, your case must have been resolved in one of the following ways: The charges you were arrested for were ultimately dropped, dismissed, or you were acquitted of the charges, either by a judge or jury, and: (1) you have never been convicted of a criminal offense in Florida, and.

What’s the difference between Seal and Expunge?

Expungement vs. Record Sealing. The key difference between expunging a person’s criminal record and sealing it is that a sealed record still “exists” in both a legal and physical sense, while expungement results in the deletion of any record that an arrest or criminal charge ever occurred.