If your felony conviction is interfering with your ability to move forward with your life, it's time to have your records expunged. You might have thought that the felony conviction would be a permanent mark on your record, but that's not necessarily the case. If you need to get a felony conviction removed from your record, here are four steps you need to take. 

Talk to an Attorney About Expungement

If you're ready to get a felony conviction off of your criminal record, the first thing you need to do is talk to an attorney. Expungement isn't something that you can handle on your own. That's because there are specific steps that an attorney will need to handle for you. Not only that, there are some crimes that cannot be expunged from your record. In most cases, violent crimes, or those involving sexual offenses, cannot be expunged. An attorney can determine if your particular crime can be expunged from your record. 

Complete the Allotted Waiting Period

Once an attorney has determined whether your particular crime can be expunged from your record, you'll need to complete the allotted waiting period. For instance, some states have a waiting period for second and third-degree felony convictions of seven years. As soon as you've completed your waiting period, your attorney can begin the necessary paperwork for expungement. It's important to note that your attorney will need to look at the terms of your release before they can submit the actual paperwork for expungement. 

Satisfy the Terms of Your Release

If you were convicted of a felony, there may have been terms presented for your release. Those terms must be satisfied before your attorney can file for expungement of your records. Terms for release may include a probation period or the completion of a diversion program. If that's the case, you'll need to make sure that those requirements are completed prior to applying for expungement. That means your waiting period will be adjusted to include those requirements. Your attorney can help ensure that you satisfy those requirements prior to the submission of your expungement paperwork. 

Avoid Additional Criminal Activity

Finally, if you want to have your conviction expunged from your records, it's crucial that you avoid any further criminal activity. If you're convicted of another crime while you're waiting to have your records expunged, you'll no longer be eligible. 

If you're ready to work on having your convictions expunged from your record, contact an attorney near you as soon as possible. They can help you through the process of criminal record expungement.