know your criminal history record
It is vital for you to know what your criminal history record in California is before you can do anything about cleaning it up.
If you have a criminal history record, there are ways to clean it up to minimize its future impact on your life. However, before exploring these methods, it is important to know exactly what is on your record.
Your criminal history record can be obtained from a variety of sources. The court papers you received when you were convicted is a good source of this information. If you did not keep this information, you can go to the superior court in the county in which you were convicted and obtain these documents. Ask for a copy of your order of judgment. Note that this will only contain information for convictions from that particular county; not any other county in which you may have also been convicted. You must obtain that information from the superior court for each county in which you were convicted in order to have your complete conviction records.
You can also obtain your “RAP” sheet from the California DOJ by going to an authorized livescan provider, submitting your fingerprint images, completing a form and paying a fee ($25 for DOJ processing and around $25 for the print rolling).
Follow this link to review the process: Office of the Attorney General Website
I suggest using a private livescan rather than going to the local police or sheriff’s office to avoid any unwelcome arrests for unknown outstanding warrants.
Note that there may be arrests or convictions on your record that do not appear on your DOJ “RAP” sheet due to a court’s failure to report a disposition or other errors. Therefore, I suggest obtaining your order of judgment from the superior court to be sure you have accurate records.
Stay tuned for more on cleaning up your criminal record. Remember, I am available for consultations by appointment.
~ Dan Koukol, Criminal Defense Attorney
