How to Expunge DUI in California

Personal Means Personal

What Is Expungement and How Does It Work?
To expunge something is to clean, erase, or remove completely any stains. Expunging a criminal record, therefore, means to wipe it clean. If your record is expunged, it will be as if you were never convicted of a DUI in the first place. Expungement, in general, is different for every state. California DUI expungement is pretty straightforward. The steps are as follows:- Complete Probation: After you finish your probation sentence, you can petition the court to expunge the record of your conviction.
- Petition Court: A judge will review your case and see if it qualifies for expungement.
- Change Plea: If the judge grants your petition, one of two things will happen.
- First, you withdraw your guilty plea or nolo contendere (no contest) plea and submit a new plea for “not guilty.”
- Second, if you were found guilty after a bench or jury trial, the judge sets the verdict aside.
Benefits of DUI Expungement
The benefits that come from having your DUI expunged from your record include:- After the expungement, you can legally say “no” on nearly all applications (job, school, housing, etc.) when asked if you have a criminal record, as long as the DUI was your only offense.
- The DUI will be taken off almost every single employment background check run in the state of California.
- Your earning potential will increase thanks to the chance you’ll have to get good employment.
- Legally, private employers cannot ask you about an expunged DUI.
- Some countries view DUI as a felony, but with your DUI expunged, your chance of travel across borders becomes significantly more likely.

Bradley Corbett
Bradley Corbett is a criminal defense attorney in San Diego. He graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo Utah in 2004. Later he enrolled at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego where he participated in a prestigious internship program with the Los Angeles County Public Defender. Since then he has handled over 2,000 cases.