Sealing and Expunging Criminal Records in Colorado
A criminal record can continue to affect your life long after a case is over. Background checks can make it more difficult to obtain employment, housing, professional opportunities, and other opportunities.
In many circumstances, Colorado law allows people to have criminal records sealed or, in certain situations, expunged.
Harper Law Firm has been helping clients seal and expunge criminal records in Colorado for almost 80 years. We have extensive experience handling record-sealing matters, including cases involving older criminal records and more complicated criminal histories.
What Does It Mean to Seal a Criminal Record?
When a criminal record is sealed, the record is generally made unavailable to the public through ordinary background-check processes. The record still exists, but access to it is restricted by law.
Colorado law provides several different ways that criminal records may qualify for sealing. Depending upon the circumstances, records may be eligible for sealing when:
– Criminal charges were never filed;
– A case was dismissed;
– A person was acquitted;
– A case was resolved in a manner that makes the record eligible for sealing; or
– A conviction meets the requirements of Colorado’s current record-sealing laws.
The requirements and waiting periods vary depending upon the type of case, the charges involved, the outcome of the case, and when the case occurred.
Colorado’s Clean Slate Laws
Colorado has made significant changes to its criminal-record laws in recent years. The Colorado Clean Slate Act created additional opportunities for certain criminal records to be sealed, including some older convictions.
These changes can make it easier for qualifying records to be sealed through the courts, and in some circumstances records may be identified for automatic sealing.
However, not every criminal record qualifies for automatic sealing, and some records still require a court filing and judicial review.
Older felony convictions and cases involving multiple charges, multiple cases, or complicated criminal histories can require particular attention to the applicable law and eligibility requirements.
Do I Need an Attorney to Seal My Record?
Some record-sealing matters are relatively straightforward. Other cases can be much more complicated.
An experienced criminal-record attorney can help determine:
– Whether your record is eligible to be sealed;
– Which Colorado law applies to your case;
– Whether the record qualifies for automatic sealing or requires a court filing;
– Whether waiting periods and other requirements have been satisfied;
– Which records and agencies need to be addressed; and
– What steps are necessary to obtain a court order sealing the record.
This can be especially important when dealing with old felony convictions, multiple criminal cases, or records that do not fit neatly within newer automatic-sealing provisions.
Experience Matters
Harper Law Firm has been handling criminal-record sealing and expungement matters in Colorado for 38 years. We understand that an old criminal case can continue to affect a person’s life long after the underlying matter has ended.
If you have an old Colorado criminal record, a dismissed case, a case in which charges were never filed, or a conviction that you believe may now qualify for sealing under Colorado’s Clean Slate laws, we can help you determine what options may be available.
Contact Harper Law Firm to discuss whether your Colorado criminal record may qualify for sealing or expungement.