Filing an expungement petition in Illinois is the first step toward clearing your record and getting a fresh start. But the process doesn’t end with paperwork. Once you file, copies of your petition are sent to the Illinois State Police, the local police department involved in your case, and the state’s attorney’s office. These agencies [...]

In Illinois, people seeking to clear their criminal history often hear two terms: expungement and sealing. While both provide relief, they work in very different ways. Unfortunately, confusion between them is common. Some assume sealing is the same as expungement, while others believe that once a case is sealed, it disappears completely. These misunderstandings can [...]

Expungement in Illinois is a powerful way to erase past arrests and charges from your public record. But not every petition is granted. Some are denied because the applicant is not legally eligible, while others fail due to paperwork errors, missing documentation, or objections from prosecutors or law enforcement. If your petition has been denied, [...]

Expungement in Illinois is designed to give people a clean slate by erasing certain arrests and case outcomes from the public record. Once a judge grants expungement, law enforcement agencies and courts are required to destroy or remove those records from their databases. For most people, this means that employers, landlords, and licensing boards will [...]

Expungement offers people in Illinois a second chance by removing eligible arrests and cases from the public record. Once a judge grants expungement, law enforcement agencies and courts must erase or destroy those records, meaning they should no longer appear in background checks, housing applications, or most job screenings. But a question often arises for [...]

In today’s world, crimes increasingly involve computers, networks, and digital devices. Offenses like hacking, phishing, online fraud, or unauthorized access can carry serious penalties under Illinois and federal law. For people who have faced cybersecurity-related charges but later qualify for expungement, the natural question arises: What happens to those digital crime records once the court [...]