IS YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD KEEPING YOU FROM GETTING A JOB?

A past arrest or a conviction can end up affecting you for the rest of your life.

Were you convicted of a crime in your youth, but — since then — you have kept your record clean and held down a job for several years? Is your criminal record still haunting you by keeping you from getting a job or promotion? If so, you may need to speak with an attorney about getting your record cleared, or “expunged.”

Not every charge can be expunged, and certainly not everyone will be eligible for expungement, but Louisiana law does have statutes in place that oftentimes can help. Did you plead guilty under “Article 893” or “Article 894”? When one does not have an extensive criminal history, expungement may be successful in providing an individual with a second chance.

It can take several months to complete the expungement process from filing of the application to actual record-clearing, so applicants will have to be patient with the criminal justice system. And you need to know that law enforcement and certain other licensing organizations will still be able to see your former record. The peace of mind you can get by having a clean record again, however, is immeasurable.