My jurisdiction is: Texas
My (very, very dumb) nephew became addicted to crack cocaine. Between the ages of 19 and 20, he was convicted of five felonies (auto theft, evading arrest, credit card fraud). After the first arrest (two counts of unauthorized use of a credit card, which belonged to his girlfriend's parents and happened with the girlfriend participating and providing the card), and before we realized he was an addict, I provided funds for him to post bond and he was given probation as a first-time offender. Of course, he didn't follow the rules of his probation because of his drug use and addiction, and within three or four months he was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. We decided he needed to learn a lesson, and he spent about six months in a county jail. Having no understanding of addiction at that time, we didn't insist on his entering a rehab program and he said that he was sure he would be ok after not using drugs for six months. Wrong! Within three months, he was arrested again, this time for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle AND evading arrest. He was incarcerated for about eight months in several county jails in and around Dallas, and spent a couple of months in a state prison. He asked for help when he was released and went to a three-month drug rehab program, where he enthusiastically followed the program and became involved in Narcotics Anonymous. He's been clean for about a year and a half, and is still attending meetings and doing the right things. Now he is 22 years old and is having trouble finding a job because of his lengthy record. Is there any hope at all that his record could be expunged after a certain period of time with no arrests? I hope this doesn't sound like a totally stupid question, but my family has had no prior experience with the criminal justice system and I think with our nation's drug problem, there must be thousands of young men and women out there who are in a similar situation.
Thank you for any info you can provide!
My (very, very dumb) nephew became addicted to crack cocaine. Between the ages of 19 and 20, he was convicted of five felonies (auto theft, evading arrest, credit card fraud). After the first arrest (two counts of unauthorized use of a credit card, which belonged to his girlfriend's parents and happened with the girlfriend participating and providing the card), and before we realized he was an addict, I provided funds for him to post bond and he was given probation as a first-time offender. Of course, he didn't follow the rules of his probation because of his drug use and addiction, and within three or four months he was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. We decided he needed to learn a lesson, and he spent about six months in a county jail. Having no understanding of addiction at that time, we didn't insist on his entering a rehab program and he said that he was sure he would be ok after not using drugs for six months. Wrong! Within three months, he was arrested again, this time for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle AND evading arrest. He was incarcerated for about eight months in several county jails in and around Dallas, and spent a couple of months in a state prison. He asked for help when he was released and went to a three-month drug rehab program, where he enthusiastically followed the program and became involved in Narcotics Anonymous. He's been clean for about a year and a half, and is still attending meetings and doing the right things. Now he is 22 years old and is having trouble finding a job because of his lengthy record. Is there any hope at all that his record could be expunged after a certain period of time with no arrests? I hope this doesn't sound like a totally stupid question, but my family has had no prior experience with the criminal justice system and I think with our nation's drug problem, there must be thousands of young men and women out there who are in a similar situation.
Thank you for any info you can provide!
