If you have a criminal record that you want to clear, Texas law offers three options:  

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Expunction under Chapter 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.  This removes references to arrests, charges and convictions from your permanent record.  Not all matters are eligible for expunction.  Those that are include cases where a person was acquitted, cases that were never filed and some juvenile convictions.  

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​Non-Disclosure Orders under Chapter 411 of the Texas Gov't Code; or Sealing juvenile records under Chapter 58 of the Texas Family Code.  

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If you are not eligible for an expunction you may still obtain a non-disclosure order regarding your case.  A non-disclosure order does not destroy your criminal record, but limits access to it.  With a non-disclosure order your record is removed from the public record and can only be accessed in certain instances by particular parties, such as government agencies.  

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If you were under the age of 17 when you committed an offense, you may be eligible for a juvenile expunction.  The procedures are different than under an expunction pursuant to the criminal code, but the expunction still destroys the public record of your criminal history.  

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The mechanism to protect  a criminal record varies, depending on the facts of the case and each county may have different requirements for each.  

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If you want second chance to make first impressions, Hutson Law can help you determine which procedure suits your case, draft and file the paperwork, and submit an order to the Court.