8 Reasons to Make Expunging Your Oklahoma Criminal Record a Priority This Year

Between the pandemic and economic woes, I think we can all agree that 2020 was an awful year. 2021 is an opportunity for all of us to start fresh and refocus on the things that matter most.

If you have a criminal record, here’s 8 reasons why 2021 should be the year you finally clear your criminal record:

1. The Economy is starting to re-open. When America’s economic engine begins sputtering back to life, you’ll want to be in the best position possible to compete with other job seekers. A criminal record could make you a less desirable candidate.

2. Former offenders are restricted or outright barred from numerous types of jobs out of concern for public safety and consumer protection. A criminal record expungement could make you eligible or more competitive in many of these regulated professions.

3. The amount of time necessary to wait after your offense for expungement eligibility has dropped. Streamlining by public officials has made the process smoother and faster.

4. Thinking about going back to school? A felony criminal record can prohibit you from accessing student financial aid. Colleges and universities also routinely screen applicants for past criminal offenses. An expungement can remove these potential barriers.

5. Want to get a job working for the State of Oklahoma? An executive order in 2016 removed questions about criminal records from State job applications. But your criminal record could still be discovered during a later phase in the hiring process. This could be prevented with a records expungement.

6. After an expungement, you can’t be denied a job or housing for refusing to admit that you have a criminal record. Research shows that people with expunged records generally enjoy improved employment opportunities, salary, and benefits.

7. Thinking about a bank loan for that small business you’ve always dreamed of launching? A publicly viewable criminal record could hurt your chances to obtain financing.

8. The number of people eligible for expungement in Oklahoma has expanded. Some people with certain types of felonies can now get expungements for the first time.

Want to find out if you’re eligible? Try our free expungement quiz to find out in 60 seconds or less.