There is a short answer to this question. Sealing criminal records means they still exist but are confidential, and most people can’t see them. Only law enforcement and criminal courts can open sealed criminal records. Expungement, on the other hand, means that the records are destroyed or erased and dismissed
Those convicted of a crime pay the price. There may be penalties like time in prison, parole, restitution, classes and other measures, as well as fines. Once all these demands are met (including parole), the individual can say that they paid their debt to society and, theoretically, move on with
A bedrock principle of American criminal law underscores that an individual who has dutifully completed an imposed sentence for a charged crime merits a fresh start thereafter. That stated expectation sometimes turns out to be an unrealized hope rather than a promise for select offenders. That is, it can spell
Not every arrest linked with alleged criminal behavior leads to a conviction, of course. Prosecutors and courts sometimes dismiss charges against accused wrongdoers. An individual might participate in a diversion program, with charges being dropped upon satisfactory completion. Defendants win at trial sometimes and are acquitted in a court of
The matter of sex crimes in the military has attracted attention up the chain of command all the way to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. In Colorado, several recent reported sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy resulted in three cadets being charged with abusive sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and
