Post-Conviction Relief

Never heard of post-conviction relief? Let’s say you’re convicted of a crime. You serve time, you pay fines. Is that the end? No. You have to live with repercussions of that conviction for years. But post-conviction relief is available. Post-conviction relief describes the many laws that can help you after your conviction, even after you’ve served time and paid fines.

Post-conviction relief can help you in a number of ways after your conviction. If you have a drug or sex conviction, you may have to register with local authorities. Post-conviction relief can loosen the restrictions for that requirement – or maybe even eliminate that requirement entirely. Your conviction may restrict or ban your ability to obtain certain licenses. Post-conviction relief can lift those restrictions or bans. Even if your arrest didn’t lead to a conviction, post-conviction relief can help you in that situation.

Post-conviction relief can even help in situations that require a more invasive background check. Thanks to post-conviction relief, you can expunge your conviction before disclosing it. Disclosing an expunged conviction creates a far better impression than a conviction that has not been expunged via post-conviction relief. If your conviction was a felony, post-conviction relief could provide even more help. A qualified attorney in the field of post-conviction relief might be able to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor, then expunge it.

Post-conviction relief can also be confusing. The specifics of the law have numerous variations depending on the details of your situation. Post-conviction relief is different between juveniles and adults. Post-conviction relief differs between misdemeanors and felonies. And, as you may have guessed, post-conviction relief varies from one state to another. For best results, you should talk to an attorney who is qualified to practice in the arena of post-conviction relief.