Criminal records sometimes affect people’s lives in ways they never anticipated. A misdemeanor or felony on your record may limit your ability to get a good job, live where you want to live or go to college. It can even take away your ability to vote.
When your criminal record has hampered your lifestyle, you should stay open to options for removing evidence of your arrests and/or convictions. Working with an attorney can help wipe your record clean. Through record expungement, the experienced attorneys at Sutnick & Sutnick Attorneys at Law can provide the relief you are looking for. Let us examine your case and determine the best way to defend you.
With offices in Hackensack, North Haledon and the Bronx, our lawyers assist clients through expungement, dismissal and sealing of misdemeanors and felony records in Passaic, Hudson and Bergen counties and throughout New York and New Jersey.
Sealing Criminal Records In New Jersey
The New Jersey criminal justice system offers avenues to wipe a record of your arrest or conviction completely off of your record. If you qualify, our lawyers will process all the expungement petition paperwork for you. You may not even have to go to court. Since expungement laws change from time to time, you might be eligible for an expungement now even if you weren’t in the past. Explore your options with the guidance of one of our defense attorneys.
Our certified trial attorneys have made a difference for many satisfied clients. We will aim for optimal results in your criminal record sealing case. Call anytime, day or night, for a free initial consultation.
Are You Eligible For Expungement?
We can help you determine what charges are on your criminal record and if they are eligible for expungement. Consider the following examples:
- If you have an arrest or conviction on record for a local town ordinance, it may be expunged after two years.
- If a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense is on your record, it may be expunged after five years.
- Many other types of criminal records may be expunged after five years.
Some recent revisions to expungement laws may open doors for you because of reductions in wait time to apply for an expungement and an increase in the number of arrests eligible for removal from your record. If you can demonstrate compelling reasons to get an expungement, the waiting time for a crime is reduced to four years, and three years for a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense.
| Charge | When Eligible for Expungement | If There are Compelling Reasons for Expungement |
| Local ordinance | Two Years | Not Applicable |
| Petty disorderly persons offense | Five Years | Three Years |
| Disorderly persons offense | Five Years | Three Years |
| Most crimes | Five Years | Four Years |
Increased Expungement Eligibility
The chart below outlines some of the general rules about expungeable charges. Consult with an experienced attorney who can carefully examine the details of your criminal record.
| Charge | Number of Convictions |
| Local ordinance
(N.J.S.A. 2C:52-4) |
No limit
|
| Petty disorderly persons and disorderly persons offenses (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-3) | 5 convictions
3 convictions
|
| Crimes/felonies
(N.J.S.A. 52-2) |
1 crime
1 crime
More than 1 crime
More than 1 crime
|
| Sale and Distribution of drugs/narcotics/CDS in the third or fourth degree
(N.J.S.A. 2C:52-3(c)) |
1 crime
|
| Entire criminal record (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-5.3) / Clean Slate | No limit
|
| Dismissed cases after completion of
diversionary program (N.J.S.A. 2C:52-6) |
1 dismissed crime (Pretrial Intervention) or
1 dismissed disorderly or petty disorderly persons offense (Conditional dismissal) |
A review of recently changed laws may reveal new opportunities for clearing criminal records. Crimes that can never be expunged include murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual contact. Visit our expungement FAQ page for answers to questions people frequently have about record expungement.
Some individuals who have been convicted of selling and/or distributing drugs, or possession with the intent to sell drugs, may seek removal of their criminal past from their records.
An arrest or a conviction, even one from several years ago, can have a significant negative impact on job opportunities and other aspects of a person’s life. Our attorneys will help you determine whether you are eligible for expungement. If so, we will gather all the relevant information, file the appropriate paperwork and diligently represent your interests throughout the process to help ensure that you will have a strong chance of success.
Don’t Let A Charge Hold You Back
Do you want your rap sheet to come up blank rather than showing that you were arrested and that the case was dismissed? Are you interested in learning about the sealing or expungement of your criminal record? From our offices in Hackensack, North Haledon and the Bronx, we help clients throughout Bergen County, Passaic County and Hudson County discover possibilities for expungement of criminal records.
Contact our expungement lawyers by calling 201-212-4532 or by completing our online contact form to schedule a free initial consultation about your criminal background and your options for clearing your record.