Category: Expungement

Expungement and sealing of records in Minnesota affect how your criminal history appears to government agencies and the public. The main difference between the two legal actions is that expungement permanently removes past arrests, criminal charges, or convictions from private and public databases, while sealing hides the criminal record from the public. Courts, government entities, and law enforcement agencies can access sealed criminal records.

Minnesota recently passed a public safety bill that brings sweeping changes to the state’s juvenile justice system. While minors sometimes run afoul of the law, the juvenile justice system seeks to account for the differences between children and adults. Therefore, while the penalties for adults convicted of crimes focus on punishment, those for juveniles are aimed at diversion and restorative practices.

When convicted of a criminal offense, the court will have your criminal record. The record usually consists of your past convictions. In Minnesota, arrest records are part of a criminal record. However, you can have the record expunged. Petty misdemeanor, traffic, and criminal cases fall under Minnesota's judicial branch. As such, your driving records will form part of your criminal records, regardless of the nature of the traffic offense.