A PA Pardon Attorney in Lancaster Can Help You Leave the Past Behind

It’s been several years since your last criminal conviction in Pennsylvania, and you’re a changed person. You have a new routine, and you no longer hang out with the same crowds as you did when you were a criminal. You paid for your crimes with fines, jail time, or both. You’re now a positive, productive member of society who wants to be treated the same as everyone else.

Unfortunately, your criminal history keeps coming up on your background checks, leading to a denial of employment, housing, custodial rights, loan opportunities, and more. You feel frustrated, and like you will never get ahead because your history keeps rearing its ugly head. If only there were some way to make it go away!

There are many circumstances and crimes that can’t be expunged or pardoned. However, a pardon or expungement may be possible under certain conditions and with the right PA pardon attorney on your side. These second chances release you from the original charge’s consequences or its record.

At Marinaro Law Firm, Attorney Michael Marinaro is here for you. He’ll examine your case and give you legal advice on whether your misdemeanor or felony conviction may be eligible for an expungement or pardon. With more than a quarter of a century of experience as a private attorney, he will fight for you to get the life you deserve!

How to Get An Expungement

An expungement doesn’t make your criminal charge entirely go away. It does, however, seal it from public view so that it can’t be searched by, say, potential employers, schools, or others whose visibility of the information could be detrimental to you. You would also not have to disclose the offense to any potential employer or in any other circumstance where you might otherwise be required to reveal it.

Not every criminal charge will be eligible for expungement. Whether your offense is eligible for expungement will depend on several factors, including:

• How long ago the violation occurred
• Your criminal record (or lack thereof) in the intervening time
• The type and severity of the original crime

Our experienced criminal defense attorney can evaluate your case to determine if your charge might be eligible for expungement. You’ll have to go to court to ask a judge to expunge your records if it is. You’ll be required to wait a certain period after being convicted of a crime and avoid committing any other offenses in the meantime. Even then, the expungement process is complex, and you need a pardon lawyer in PA, like Attorney Marinaro, to help you discuss your rights and options.

How Is A ‘Pardon’ Different?

A pardon for a criminal conviction doesn’t mean you are innocent of the crime. It does mean that your sentence will be reduced or eliminated, and you will technically be forgiven for the crime. A pardon does not affect your criminal record, however. The executive branch—a governor for a state crime or the president for federal crimes—must grant a pardon.

For those convicted of a misdemeanor, your possibility of a pardon in Pennsylvania is lower. In many cases, the only available option is a presential pardon, which is unlikely to happen for a misdemeanor conviction.

In PA, a pardon is a form of clemency. The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons handles pardon applications. Like the expungement process, the pardons process is long and complicated. To request a pardon, you’ll have to fill out a pardon application, go through the investigation process, and have a public hearing before being recommended for a pardon by the governor.

Applying for a pardon on your own is not a clever idea. You need an experienced PA pardon attorney, like Attorney Marinaro, on your side to ensure the forms are filled out correctly and give you the representation you deserve.

Start Here To Clear Your Name with a PA Pardon Attorney

Having a criminal past is not easy, especially for people who have turned their lives around and want to live a normal life. Expungement or pardons may give some former criminals the peace of mind that their previous crimes will no longer hold them back.

Schedule a free initial consultation with the PA pardon attorney at our Lancaster, Pennsylvania, firm today by calling 717-397-7055 or toll-free at 866-614-6520. You may also use our online email form by writing to us here.