Legal Question in Criminal Law in Pennsylvania

Re: Expunging, bench warrent, & obtaining records?

1. A bench warrant lasts forever. You can have the bench warrant lifted in various ways, but if you don't have it lifted, it lasts forever.

2. Vacated simply means the Judge removes the bench warrant. This can't happen unless the person either turns themselves in, gets picked up by the police, or gets a new case.

3. Expungements and pardons differ depending on the type of case and whether you had been previously convicted of the offense. You can file an expungement pro se, meaning wtihout a lawyer, and the only cost will be the filing fee, which is probably less then $25 in your county. If you hire a lawyer, there cost is whatever they quote you. As far as a pardon goes, you should talk to a lawyer about that, and of course, their fee is whatever they make it.

4. As far as a copy of your record, if all of your contacts are in pa, you can get them online for free.

If anything i have written is unclear in anyway, please feel free to call or email. Good Luck.