A felony conviction on your record can have serious consequences for your personal and professional life. The stigma of a serious offense can make it hard to pursue housing or employment opportunities. A felony will stay on your criminal record indefinitely unless you take steps to expunge the offense. Here’s what you need to know about the process and its potential timeline.
Felony Convictions and Criminal Records in North Carolina
In North Carolina, felonies refer to more serious criminal offenses that carry penalties, including imprisonment for more than a year and substantial fines. Due to the seriousness of a felony offense, a conviction will remain on a person’s criminal record permanently unless the individual takes steps to remove the felony from their record. As a result, a person’s felony conviction will appear in background checks for employment, licensing, or housing—unless the person can obtain a court order to expunge the conviction.
Can You Remove a Felony from Your Record?
You may be able to remove felony convictions from your records under limited circumstances. North Carolina bars the expungement of certain types of felony convictions, including:
- Class A through G felonies
- Violent felonies
- Felony convictions that require sex offender registration
- Felony sex or stalking convictions
- Felonies involving certain types of drugs
- Felonies involving the use of contaminated food or drunk to incapacitate another person
- Felony DWI
Generally, non-violent Class I or H felonies are expungeable. You may also be able to expunge a broader range of non-violent felonies if you committed those felonies before turning 18.
However, you must wait ten years after your conviction to pursue expungement of a felony. It can be longer in certain circumstances. This is why it is important to consult a lawyer.
Impact of a Felony on Your Life
A felony conviction can have serious repercussions for your rights and reputation. First, the fact that felony convictions may appear in background checks can adversely affect your ability to pursue employment, housing, or educational opportunities. You may also lose your voting rights until you complete your sentence. A felony conviction also permanently disqualifies you from owning or possessing firearms until you pursue restoration of your firearm rights or get all felonious convictions expunged. More broadly, a criminal record can also harm your social standing when family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors learn of your convictions through public records or internet searches.
What Can You Do If You Have a Felony on Your Record?
If you have a felony conviction on your record, you may have the opportunity to remove that conviction under certain circumstances. First, consult an experienced criminal defense attorney to determine your eligibility for expungement. An attorney can evaluate whether your felony conviction qualifies for expungement. Next, they will draft a court petition and advocate on your behalf to secure the expungement of an eligible felony offense.
A criminal defense lawyer can also help you pursue alternatives to expungement for dealing with the consequences of a felony conviction, such as seeking a certificate of relief that removes the collateral consequences of Class H or I felony convictions.
To improve your chances of obtaining relief from a felony conviction, you should actively pursue rehabilitation, education, employment, and community involvement to show your commitment to reforming yourself and leading a law-abiding life.
Contact a Criminal Defense Attorney Today
Are you interested in removing a felony conviction from your record? If so, an experienced criminal defense lawyer from Greenwood Law can help you understand your options for doing so. Contact our firm today for a confidential consultation with our team to learn more about the effects of felony convictions on your personal and professional life and what steps you can take to mitigate the stigma of a conviction.