What Does It Mean When I Have a Charge on my Record?
If you’ve been charged with a crime, or if you face being charged, it can have significant impacts on your life, including employment, driving privileges, the ability to rent or lease a home and more. If you’re facing a charge, let Gainesville’s best attorneys help. The attorneys at Avera & Smith will guide you through the legal process and work to get your charge dropped or reduced.
So just what are the consequences of having a charge on your record, even if it’s been reduced? Let’s find out.
Employment & College Admission
Many employers perform background checks on potential employees, and one of the things they look at is if you’ve ever been charged or if you’ve been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. If you’ve been charged with a crime, even if you weren’t convicted or even if it was a misdemeanor, it can impact your hireability or decrease your earning potential if hired.
The same goes for college admission. If you’ve been charged with a crime, big or small, it could impact your acceptance to many colleges and universities.
Renting/Leasing
When filling out applications to rent or lease an apartment or home, many landlords and property management companies ask the same questions as employers. They may also have the right to perform a background check. Depending on the type of conviction, a landlord or management company may refuse to rent to you, especially if your conviction or charge recently occurred.
Children
If you have children, or if you’re thinking of adopting or becoming a foster parent, having a charge on your record can have a significant impact. For parents of biological children, having a charge on your record might reduce your child custody rights or you could lose them all together. If you’re trying to adopt or become a foster parent, you may not automatically be disqualified if you have a charge on your record; it depends on the type and recency of offense and if it was related to something that may have at any time, in the past, present or future, put a child at risk.
Driving
Depending on the type of charge and how severe it is, you could also lose your right to drive. You could lose it completely if alcohol or drugs are involved in a severe charge, or it could lead to the temporary suspension of your license.
Other Licenses
If your occupation requires you to hold special licenses, such as those jobs in the healthcare industry, a charge could make it difficult to get or renew your license. Depending on the type and severity of the charge, this could be temporary or it could be lifelong.
Sealed vs. Expunged
If you have a charge on your record, our lawyers at Gainesville’s Avera & Smith can help get it reduced or dropped. If your charge is dropped, it can be sealed or expunged. What’s the difference?
Sealed
If a record is sealed, the public will not be able to access or view it, but it can show up in a background check stating that a record exists and has been sealed. However, a sealed record can be viewed by some entities such as certain types of government bodies.
Expunged
If a record has been expunged, the public will not be able to access or view it. However, the government entities that would be able to view a sealed record would be alerted that an expunged record exists, but they would not be able to view it without a court order.
If you’ve been charged with a crime, whether a misdemeanor or a felony, contact the lawyers at Gainesville’s Avera & Smith. We’ll help you navigate the legal system and do everything we can to reduce or drop your charges, and then work to get it sealed or expunged if possible. We’re here for you, and we’ll stay by your side through the legal process from start to finish.