How do you get rid of an arrest record in New Jersey?

Answer 1

Anything committed prior to your 18th birthday will be inaccessible to the general public anyway. However, you cannot "get rid of" an entire arrest record. You can make a request to the court that it consider a certain offense be EXPUNGED. If you have more than one offense you would like expunged, each individual one will require a separate court action.

To request the expungement of an offense from your STATE criminal record: You must have either been acquited or served the complete term of your sentence - then submit a petition to the court setting forth good reason(s) why your request should be granted. A judge will review your petition and the circumstances of your case and issue a ruling either granting or denying the request. AN EXPUNGEMENT IS NOT A PARDON! Law enforcement, the courts, and government agencies will always have access to your actual 'true' record. Expungement only removes the record of your offense from being available to the public.

FELONS CONVICTED IN STATE COURT OF STATE CRIMES: If your request for expungement is granted and you are a resident of a state which completely or partially restores your "rights" (you will have to do research to learn if this applies to your state), you will still remain subject to any restrictions that your state laws place on you (e.g.- voting rights - elective office - firearms/ammunition possession - etc). CAUTION: FEDERALLY CONVICTED FELONS: It remains a FEDERAL felony for a federally convicted felon to EVER own or possess a firearm. The U.S. Criminal Code, makes the penalty for illegal possession of a firearm a mandatory minimum of fifteen (15) years in prison in some cases (Title 18 U.S.C. sec 924(e)(1). At this time federally convicted felons have no solution to their firearm disqualification. By denying funding, Congress has effectively suspended the review of federally convicted felons' petitions for restoration of their firearms privileges.