Do I Have to Expunge Each Criminal Incident Separately?
We almost all reach a point in our lives where we look back at our past selves and realize that we can no longer recognize the person we once were. It’s rarely more true than for someone with a criminal record who has transformed his or her life.
Criminal records create a lot of barriers toward achieving your dreams, whether that’s a great job, renting in a certain neighborhood, or even furthering your education. When you have multiple criminal incidents, clearing your record and moving on with your life can seem daunting.
One of the most common questions we get when people start working with us is, “Do I have to expunge each of my incidents separately?” The short answer is, it depends.
Can You Do Your Own Expungement?
When you have arrests or criminal incidents in multiple counties, getting them all expunged is a little like putting a puzzle together. Finding the right order and meeting all of the various requirements takes creativity and ingenuity, which is why we recommend working with an experienced expungement attorney.
It may technically be possible to do an expungement yourself, but keep in mind that judges will hold you to the same standards as trained lawyers.
Steps of an Expungement
The first step of your expungement is filing a Petition for Expungement. If you have multiple incidents in one county, you can include all of them in a single Petition.
Once your Petition is filed, you must then have your case set for a hearing in front of the assigned judge. Your attorney must also provide notice of the hearing and a copy of the Petition to all interested parties, such as the prosecuting attorney and the arresting agency.
In our experience, the best practice is to discuss the expungement with all interested parties before the hearing.
At the hearing, as long as there are no objections, the judge is likely to sign the Expungement Order. Once the Order is signed and filed with the Court Clerk, you have to submit a certified copy to all interested parties. OSBI and some other interested parties also require processing fees.
If you have criminal incidents in more than one county, then we’ll have to do this same process for each county where you have been arrested until your record is fully clear.
For a more in-depth description of the expungement process, read our overview of full expungements.
Recreate Your Story
If you’ve recreated yourself, then it’s time to recreate your story with an expungement. Once an incident has been expunged, you can legally say that the incident never occurred. You can finally transform your past to match who you are now
If you’re interested in rewriting your story with an expungement, start by taking our free Expungement Eligibility Quiz . It will help us determine if you’re eligible for an expungement in Oklahoma and get you started on the path of erasing your past.
