What is the benefit of getting my criminal record expunged?

People who have a criminal record frequently face barriers when they apply for a job, housing, school, or to obtain a professional license.[2]  Thus, having a charge expunged helps prevent legal discrimination against people who have criminal history.  For example, if a question on a job application asks if you have ever been arrested, and you got your only arrest record expunged, then you may legally answer “no.”

Additionally, even if you can only get some – but not all – of your criminal records expunged, the expungement process can still be helpful to you.  As Project Return’s Bettie Kirkland has explained: “Every properly expungeable charge that can be taken off of a person’s record, the better off that person is as he or she strives to begin again.”