People are usually surprised that they have a criminal record when the outcome of the trial was an absolute or conditional discharge. Once you have been fingerprinted, your criminal record can be seen in a criminal record check and can prevent you from getting work or traveling to the US.
Below is a real life example of how a conditional discharge can negatively impact a person’s life. This person requires a file destruction to remove their prints, photos, court and police records:
“I am writing to find out what my options will be. My ex boyfriend was charged with assault in September 2013 and I signed a consent for contact order. During that time he beat me down more and more and eventually got me so worked up that I but him and I was charged with assault. He admits that he did it to get back at me.”
“Nevertheless I am in a terrible situation now. I left a successful job to purchase a home for us and rely solely on his income. I traded this in for a “simple” life full of empty promises and ended up with a controlling man. I’ve remanded my court date 4 times and also went for diversion which I was denied.”
“The judge is offering me 1 year probation with a conditional discharge. I am a first time offender. Now I am in a new town with a small population and the real estate market is terrible. I need to make it on my own here and many of the positions I qualify for require a criminal background search. I understand that the charge will appear on my record for four years from the sentence date. I can’t afford a lawyer and have been denied legal aid. On feb 20th I need to plead guilty and take the offer or go to trial. I am now looking at pleading guilty and was wondering if it would be possible to have this incident removed from my record ?”
If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons, Record Suspensions and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011 or 416-929-6011.
