If I completed a deferred sentence 5 years ago, how do I get that sealed?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I completed a deferred sentence 5 years ago, how do I get that sealed?
I am currently going to school abut had a run in with the law 5 years ago when living in another state. I successfully completed the deferred sentence before moving but I wish to have the courts seal my record so that I can take a teaching job when I finish school. I’m a college student with no monetary help from my family and I’m broke so I can’t afford high lawyer fees. What should I do?
Asked on May 22, 2012 under Criminal Law, South Dakota
Answers:
Kevin Bessant / Law Office of Kevin Bessant & Associates
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
A deferred sentence typically means that upon a successful completion of all of the courts conditions of deferment, the case will be dismissed. Adult criminal records are generally not sealed, but open to the public, which in your case, the record would show that you were charged with an offense but that the criminal case was dismissed. You may want to consider having a criminal expungement performed that will wipe clean the entire criminal record assuming you are eligible for it in your state. In this case, the criminal offense should never appear in any public background checks if successfully expunged.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.