Benefits of Sealing a Criminal Record for Career Advancement
If you have a criminal record, that record could have a significant negative impact on your future career goals. In the 21st century, a criminal record can disqualify you from a variety of jobs, prevent you from securing a promotion at your current job, or cause you to be unable to obtain or retain certain professional licenses. The good news is that you may be eligible to seal your criminal record in Nevada. Understanding the benefits of sealing a criminal record may be the key to ensuring advancement in your chosen career.
How Might a Criminal Record Impact Career Advancement?
In today’s electronic age, employers routinely run background checks on prospective employees prior to offering them a position. Despite appearing to be highly qualified for a position, you might find that a conviction or arrest on your record disqualifies you from consideration for many jobs.
Moreover, your criminal record may prevent career growth if you are already employed because employers frequently conduct periodic background checks on existing employees. While a less than stellar criminal background can be problematic for any job, those involving financial transactions, requiring you to hold a security clearance, or that work with vulnerable people are particularly likely to require a clean background check.
Ultimately, a criminal record could cause you to be looked over for a job, terminated from a current job, or passed over for a promotion, highlighting the benefits of sealing a criminal record.
What Does Sealing a Criminal Record Mean in Nevada?
In Nevada, certain records relating to an arrest or conviction can be “sealed,” meaning the record is physically removed from the record system. The result is that the record is unavailable to the general public. While sealed records do remain accessible to some law enforcement and government agencies as well as the courts, prospective or current employers will not see the record if they conduct a criminal background check on you.
Can I Answer “No” to Questions about Criminal Convictions If My Record Is Sealed?
If you have been convicted of a crime, you undoubtedly dread those questions on employment applications that require you to answer “yes” or “no” whether you have any criminal convictions. One of the most important benefits of sealing a criminal record in Nevada is that the applicable statute specifically allows you to answer those questions in the negative, stating as follows:
“All proceedings recounted in the record are deemed never to have occurred, and the person to whom the order pertains may properly answer accordingly to any inquiry, including, without limitation, an inquiry relating to an application for employment, concerning the arrest, conviction, dismissal or acquittal and the events and proceedings relating to the arrest, conviction, dismissal or acquittal.”
In short, once your record has been sealed, you can legally proceed as though the conviction never happened.
Can All Criminal Records Be Sealed in Nevada?
Certain convictions, including those for sex crimes, crimes against children, invasion of the home with a deadly weapon pursuant to NRS 205.067 (home invasion), and felony DUI cannot be sealed in Nevada. For other convictions, the benefits of sealing a criminal record are available; however, you cannot apply to seal your record until the applicable waiting period has expired which begins on the date of release from custody, date of discharge from parole or probation, or the date when you are no longer under a suspended sentence, whichever occurs later. How long you must wait before applying depends on the severity of the offense, as follows:
- 10 Years: Category A felonies, felony crimes of violence, and residential burglary.
- 7 Years: Battery domestic violence and misdemeanor DUI.
- 5 Years: All other Category B, C, or D felonies.
- 2 Years: Category E felonies, gross misdemeanors, misdemeanor battery, harassment, stalking, or violation of a protection order.
What Should I Do If I Have Questions about Sealing My Criminal Record in Las Vegas?
If you have additional questions about the benefits of sealing a criminal record in Las Vegas, consult with the experienced Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys at The Vegas Lawyers as soon as possible to discuss your next steps. Call us at 702-707-7000 or contact us online.