Nondisclosure is different from an expungement in the sense that the record does not “go away,” it is merely held back from access by the public. In Texas, an individual who has successfully completed deferred adjudication community supervision can petition the court that placed the individual on probation for an order of nondisclosure of the related criminal records under Texas Government Code §411.071.Īn order of nondisclosure prohibits criminal justice agencies from disclosing to the public criminal history record information related to an offense.

There is no federal equivalent of record expungement, and the only recourse for an individual to obtain relief from these records is by obtaining a presidential pardon. In some states, “expungement” of criminal records may be possible with the records either being sealed from public view or destroyed by erasing the information from the state database and destroying all hard copies of the records. How Long Does a Criminal Record Last?Īll criminal information stays on criminal records indefinitely and is available to anyone with access to the records. Law enforcement agencies and courts also have ready access to these records. Information stored by the NCIC involves all federal criminal matters as well as information that is voluntarily supplied by states.Ĭriminal records are often accessed by credit reporting agencies at the time of application for credit cards or loans, by potential employers, and for screenings of tenants by landlords. On the federal level, the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) maintains a nationwide database of criminal records. A criminal record is made up of documents or a compilation or summary of documents maintained by state or federal governments that preserves, in chronological order, your history of violations, arrests, and convictions under criminal law.

How long do checks last before expiring