Legal Question in Criminal Law in Massachusetts

The case was dismissed upon the payment of the $100. You are not convicted of the crime, so you need not say that you have ever been convicted of any crime, misdemeanor or felony. The damage has been done, however, because the shoplifting charge appears on your criminal record (aka CORI), albeit as a charge that was dismissed. Under most circumstances, employers and the general public will not be able to see a charge on your CORI that was dismissed. However, certain employers that work with vulnerable populations (i.e. the elderly, children, health care fields) will be able to see non-convictions. This one mark on your CORI could potentially hurt you in the future. I would suggest that you petition to seal your CORI in order to avoid future problems.

Contrary to popular misconception, when a person seals his or her CORI, requestors of this person's CORI are NOT told they have a sealed record (which invites all sorts of negative speculation); requestors are instead told that the person has "no record".

Good luck,

Dominic Pang (617.538.1127)