If you’re like many people with a criminal history, you’ve heard of expungement and sealing – but can you seal a sex crime from your record in Illinois? This guide explains.

You can’t typically seal sex crimes in Illinois. These crimes have to stay on your criminal record forever. Any conviction that requires you to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act is a crime that must remain on your criminal record. In fact, even some crimes that may not require you to register as a sex offender, such as soliciting a sexual act or patronizing a prostitute, must remain on your criminal record.

Related: Can you expunge sex offenses in Illinois?

What if You Were Accused, But Never Convicted?

If you were accused of a sex crime (even one that, if convicted, would require you to register as a sex offender) but you were never convicted, you can clear that arrest and those charges from your criminal record. You could even petition the court to expunge them, which means they’d disappear forever. 

So what does accused but never convicted mean? It could mean that the police charged you with a sex crime and later dropped the charges, or it could mean that your case was dismissed from court for a number of reasons. It could also mean that you went on trial and were found not guilty of committing the crime. In any of these instances, you can petition the court to clear your criminal record.

Do You Need to Talk to an Attorney About Sealing Sex Crime Charges From Your Record?

You cannot seal or expunge a sex crime conviction, but you can clear your record if you were never convicted of a sex crime. If that sounds like your situation, call us at 847-920-4540 or fill out the form below so we can help you start moving forward.

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