Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Florida Criminal Background Can Affect Your Employment Opportunities - How Sealing / Expunging Your Criminal Record Can Help

St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses the how your criminal record can affect your future.

Issue:

Nearly 65 million Americans have criminal records stemming from an arrest or conviction according to a recent report by the National Employment Law Project.  A recent survey by the Society for Human Resources Management found that 90% of companies surveyed indicated that they conducted criminal background checks on prospective employees.  In many cases, a criminal background can disqualify an applicant from consideration.




Why This Matters To You:

In the past, employers had a much harder time uncovering an applicant’s Florida criminal background.  In many cases, time consuming and expensive manual court record searches were conducted, and oftentimes, a full criminal background search wasn’t run or required.  

Today, many Florida employers run a full criminal background search on prospective employees which is far easier than in the past.  The Internet along with hosts of screening companies that specialize in obtaining criminal background information have made the process simple and cost effective.  

Even small employers can easily access the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (http://www.pcsoweb.com/pages/who_jail.html) or the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/PublicInquiry/ArrestInquiry) to see arrests and booking photos.  Furhter, both Pinellas (https://pubtitles.co.pinellas.fl.us/login/loginx.jsp?goto=/mainmenux.jsp) and Hillsborough (http://www.hillsclerk.com/publicweb/Search_Court_Records.aspx) County Clerk’s offices have online record searches of court records available to anyone willing to search.

Many employers won’t hire someone with a criminal background.  Further, there are no federal laws that prohibit discrimination against people with criminal records.

In addition to employment concerns, many Florida universities and colleges will not accept applicants with certain criminal histories.  As well, those with a criminal record are usually not eligible for federal loans or scholarships for college.

In many cases, your criminal record may be Sealed and/or Expunged by an experienced criminal attorney, with the following benefits:

  1. Once the Sealing or Expungement of your Florida criminal record is granted by the Court, the charge will no longer be available as a public record.
  2. Additionally, if you Seal or Expunge the Florida criminal record, you gain the legal right to deny or fail to acknowledge anything to do with the arrest and the legal proceedings from the case itself.
  3. You can in most cases successfully pass a criminal background check.



What To Do Next:

Contact the Morris Law Firm to start the process of clearing your criminal record. The Morris Law Firm has experience in Sealing or Expunging your criminal records so they don’t appear on criminal background checks.

  • No office visit required
  • Flat fee for Sealing or Expunging your criminal record
  • Simple Process


Sealing or expunging your criminal record is an investment in your future.


If you have a criminal record, contact a St. Petersburg Seal / Expunge Florida Criminal Records Attorney to discuss Sealing and/or Expunging eligibility that may exist in your case.  Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss your case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation.  The Morris Law Firm can help and has specific knowledge and experience in Sealing / Expunging Florida criminal records throughout Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay, FL Area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Bradenton, Manatee, and Sarasota).

No comments:

Post a Comment