Legal Question in Criminal Law in Tennessee

How long do I have to wait after pleading guilty to petit larceny before I can request to have the record sealed? I'm a hopeful future teacher--has this ruined all of my chances?


Asked on 11/28/12, 2:21 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Here's a lawyerly answer: it depends on the circumstances:

Are you talking about a court here in Tennessee? Or some other state?

Did the plea of guilty result in a conviction? Or did the plea result in a judicial/post-trial diversion?

Are you talking about a recent plea, within the past few days, months, a year?

Or is it an old conviction from years ago, especially, over five years ago?

Was it a first and only conviction, or was it one of several convictions, but it is the one you want off your record?

If the plea resulted in a diversion, your record can be expunged as soon as you successfully complete the diversion period.

Under certain circumstances an old Tennessee conviction (over five years from the end of the sentence) can be expunged under a law recently passed by the Tennessee General Assembly.

The best route for you to take is ask the lawyer who handled your case at the time. Second best is to provide more details and I'll try to be more specific in my answer.

Read more
Answered on 11/28/12, 3:04 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Criminal Law questions and answers in Tennessee