For many past offenders who are looking to turn their life around, expunging or sealing their record is an important step towards moving past old mistakes. Through doing so, most people hope to apply confidently for higher paying jobs, colleges, housing, and federal resources. A black mark on your permanent record can close many doors. The hope is that through the process of expungement or sealing, those doors will be opened again.

The unfortunate truth is that many parties [...]