How do we find out if we have a criminal record?

You could try to take a load to Canada ... they will remind you of any poor decisions you made decades ago and will deny you entry if you aren't a perfect person ... free of charge

 

I'm not positive but I think you can get your criminal record through your state police or maybe the jurisdiction that the offense took place in? You might get fingerprinted etc. Expungement seals the record and makes it unavailable to anybody who is looking for it during a background check. The particulars vary depending on the offense. For example in my state a first offense dui can be expunged. This keeps employers from finding it through a criminal check. However the DMV will not hide the suspension that occurs after a dui offense. So if the company checked MVR they would still see a suspended license for DUI. That's just one example and I'm sure it varies from state to state.

 

Me, too. At least they told me to never come back.

 

go to the clerk of courts, in the county you got dinged in. ask for your records there. it is all public information. if it was expunged, that usually means removed from your record in some fashion.

 

I'm a self employed load planner for O/O IC's with their own authority. I've had several clients in the past that were felons, so I have some experience in these matters.

First of all you must understand what an expungement is. What an expungement is, is the county clerk from the county you committed your crimes in takes your record and seals it. It prevents potential employers and normal individuals from seeing it, but what it doesn't do is officially erase the crime. The record isn't sealed from the courts, law enforcement, government, or even a foreign government. To completely erase it you'll need a pardon from the governor of the state you committed your crimes in. If its federal crimes the president will have to pardon them.

As for crossing into Canada you must first understand that they go by their own judicial system in determining the severity of a crime. What might be a felony in the US might not be one in Canada. If it doesn't qualify as a felony in Canada you'll be considered rehabilitated after about 5 years since you got off probation/parole. If it is considered a felony in Canada you'll need a certificate of rehabilitation from Canada's prime minister in order to enter. It takes about $800 bucks the last time I checked to get the ball rolling on that. President Bush jr. needed special permission from the prime minister in order to get into Canada when he became president because of a DUI in his past which is considered a felony in Canada.

If you've determined that your crime is a felony in Canadian law you'll need to contact an immigration lawyer to get the best results from pleading your case to the prime minister, or to the council he appoints to oversee such matters.

 

answer is rather simple if it was expunged, there is no record of it by law the agency to charge you with the crime must destroy any and all records

 

Just go to your local police station, pay a fee get fingerprinted and wait for the results. That is where I went back when I worked for the post office. If its good enough for them it should work for anyone else. I live in Kansas, don't know if that makes a difference. Oh I was on a diversion program for a felony when I was a teenager, don't know how that differs from your case. It doesn't show up on my record.

 

There is -always- a record. Fill out an application and apply to the FBI for any position....even custodian, and find out.