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after 5 years, and most municipal ordinance offenses after 2
years. Convictions for “indictable offenses” (felonies), can be
expunged 10 years from the date of conviction, payment of any
fine, satisfactory completion of probation or parole or release
from incarceration, but whichever is latest. The most serious of
these offenses, such as murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual
assault, robbery, arson, perjury and distribution, sale or
possession with intent to distribute of controlled dangerous
substances (drugs), can never be expunged. Expungement is a
broader remedy for offenses committed as a juvenile. Legal
Services of New Jersey has published a guide to cleaning up
your record through expungement.
To obtain a copy of the book, call 888-576-5529, or go to the
LSNJ web site, where you can download it for free:
http://www.lsnj.org/english/crime/municipalcourt/clearingyourre
cord.cfm.
D. Checking and Correcting
Your Credit Record
While New Jersey allows employers to look at your criminal
record, many employers — and others like landlords and
mortgage companies — will use a credit report instead of or in
addition to the state’s records. Credit records are maintained by
private companies and generally have information about your
debts, your history of paying bills and other financial matters,
but may also have information about your criminal record. The
information may not be correct, and the law does offer you some
protections. For example, if an employer uses a credit record to
deny you a job, they have to tell you this, and give you the name,
address and phone number of the agency that provided the
report, and the agency must give you a copy of that information
on your request. They cannot charge you money for that request
if the employer used the report to deny you a job. If the records
of the credit agency contain incorrect information, they must
investigate and correct inaccurate information.
You can get ahead of the curve by getting a copy of your credit
record and making sure there isn’t any incorrect information on
it. New Jersey residents are allowed one free credit report each
year. Three companies that provide this service are:
Equifax Information Systems, LLC.:
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111.
Transunion Personal Credit Report:
PO Box 1000, Chester PA 19022
800-888-4213.