How Do I Apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation? Do I Need to Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney?
If you’ve ever been convicted of a crime in California, you know that the feeling of regret soon follows. You try your best to live the rest of your life as a different person, a better person than the person you were at the time of your arrest, but the shadow of your past remains over you. This can cause embarrassment, shame, social alienation, difficulties in procuring well paying employment, problems with family, friends, and neighbors, and even depression. In most cases, having to face California sex-offender registration for the rest of your life, and having your identity on websites such as Megan’s Law, can be devastating.
Well, you don’t have to live the rest of your life regretting your past, or feeling like your past follows you everywhere. With the help of an experienced California expungement lawyer at Wallin & Klarich, you can change your future by applying for a Certificate of Rehabilitation.
You can qualify for a Certificate of Rehabilitation if you:
• Were sentenced to State Prison and were released on Parole, thereby making you ineligible for an expungement.
• If you have a felony conviction and desire to apply for a Governor’s Pardon.
• You have a Misdemeanor conviction, and by law are required to register as a Sex Offender per Penal Code section 290.
The Benefits of a Certificate of Rehabilitation are:
• Once the Certificate is granted, it becomes an automatic application for a Governor’s Pardon.
• State licensing agencies will take into account the Certificate when deciding to grant a state license for Nursing, Real Estate, Contractor, etc.
• Relieves certain sex-offenders from having to register per Penal Code section 290.
To qualify for a Certificate of Rehabilitation:
• You must have a Felony conviction or a Misdemeanor conviction that requires registration pursuant to Penal Code section 290 that has been expunged pursuant to Penal Code section 1203.4.
• You must have continuously lived in California for 3 to 5 years prior to applying for a Certificate and Pardon. If you were released on parole, the residency requirement is 3 years. All other cases require 5 years of residency.
• You must present a satisfactory period of rehabilitation which begins from the date you were released from custody.
A Certificate of Rehabilitation is a court order, which declares that a person who has been convicted of a Felony or qualified Misdemeanor is rehabilitated. If a petition for a Certificate of Rehabilitation is granted, it is forwarded to the Governor of California by the granting court and constitutes an application for a pardon.
If you qualify for a Certificate of Rehabilitation, or if you have questions about whether or not you qualify, call the skilled criminal defense attorneys in California at Wallin & Klarich today at 1-888-280-6839 and we can make your dream of becoming rehabilitated a reality that you can be proud of. You deserve to be treated with respect for the changes and accomplishments you have made in your life! Remember, Wallin & Klarich is just a phone call away, or you can visit our website at www.wklaw.com for more information.
