Keep the exact statute
Two offenses with similar names can have different record-relief rules. Record the statutory section, any amendment and the court's final outcome instead of relying on a background company's label.
Look at the whole case
Check whether other charges were resolved in the same case and whether you completed the sentence or program. Keep proof of completion. If the record does not say what happened, request the missing disposition.
Check the remedy's limits
Ask whether the application concerns public access, dismissal of a conviction or another effect. Review the current official instructions for that route before filing.
A way to organize your review
Questions to keep separate
Read the diagram as text
- Conviction level
- What offense and classification appear in the judgment?
- Sentence
- What punishment was ordered, and was it completed?
- Record access
- Who can still see the record after the requested change?
- Other rights
- Which rights need a separate legal review?
Common question
Is an old misdemeanor automatically cleared?
Age alone does not establish relief. Check for a qualifying automatic process or an actual court order, and verify the current record.
Official resources
Consult the issuing authority for current forms and local procedure.
- Michigan State Police: Clean Slate and set-asideswww.michigan.gov
- California Courts — Record-cleaning indexwww.selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts — Felony convictions and Proposition 47www.selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Penal Code section 17leginfo.legislature.ca.gov