Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Wisconsin

Absolutely! All criminal convictions including retail theft will show up in public records databases for life in WI, unless the conviction is pardoned by the governor or expunged by the court. Expungement only occurs under extremely limited circumstances,, when it is approved in advance at the time of sentencing and the defendant under the age of 21 (and in a few very rare other circumstances). Fingerprint and\or DNA info is also collected and held perpetually by the FBI's national crime information computers and other law enforcement agencies; this can even apply to noncriminal ordinance convictions, although their impact upon your future is likely to be far less severe, since they are not crimes. In today�s job market, any of these will render you more or less unemployable for most jobs other that the lowest, least skilled and least paying jobs. Retail theft is a crime of honesty, which can particularly disqualify you for any position of trust, especially if it requires you to handle money. You best bet is therefore to do everything possible to avoid conviction and hire an experienced criminal lawyer to defend you initially, before sentencing. This will greatly improve your odds of either not being convicted or negotiating a deal which will not look so bad on your record. My comments here are not legal advice, nor do they create an attorney client relationship between us; rather they are only for public educational purposes on this website. Answers may also contain advertising materials. You are; however, always welcome to contact my office in Racine to discuss any additional questions which you may have.