The Necessity of an Expungement

Today's job market is tough. With record numbers of American unemployed, college graduates unable to find employment and many workers told "you are overqualified for the position", those who have criminal records are  even more challenged to find employment. I blogged previously on a Wall Street Journal Article that addressed the high number of people requesting their criminal records be expunged in an attempt to make them more competitive in the job market. An expungement is a process that erases your criminal past.

The Charlotte Observer ran an article today about the record number of people in North Carolina filing for expungements. North Carolina has very strict rules regarding expungements. However, the record of the case is not accessible once the process is complete. For a person applying for a job in today's job market, a clean criminal record is very important.

North Carolina Expungement for a Job Seeker

Are you a job seeker in North Carolina? You may need to get a North Carolina Expungement.

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about the affect of a criminal conviction on a job seeker in the current job market. With the rise of unemployment figures and the economy in midst of recovering from a deep recession, those with a criminal past are finding it harder to get a job. The article quotes a director of a liquor company in Florida; "If I have a guy with four arrests and bad credit versus someone who has never been in trouble in his life, who am I going to hire? It's not rocket science." In Florida, expungements rose 43% from the previous year. With unemployment levels currently over 10%, employers can be picky. Technology and the internet have made a person's criminal past much easier to access than 10 years ago. For a fee of ten dollars, a company can use an internet service to obtain information on a potential employee. The WSJ found that 80% of companies performed background checks in 2006, compared to fewer than 50% in 1998. Even more alarming, I have personally received several phone calls from previous clients who had their criminal case dismissed in Mecklenburg County now unable to rent an apartment in North Carolina after having their lease application rejected. Leasing companies are now running background checks on potential tenants.

An expungement basically erases your criminal past. North Carolina has very strict rules regarding whether a person qualifies for an expungement. Generally speaking, if you were found not guilty or the charges were dismissed, you most likely qualify for an expungement. There are different rules if you were under 18 years of age. The good news is that in North Carolina, once the expungement process is successfully completed, it is completely erased. If you have questions regarding the expungement process in North Carolina, contact the Law Office of Carilyn Ibsen PLLC for help.

Here is the link to the WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125789494126242343.html