questions & answers

Question: I was charged with disorderly conduct-fighting.I spent the night in jail. I plead not guilty and walked out. I believed I would be able to have an public defender because of my low income and spending the night in jail. I believed 100% I would be provided an attorney. I forgot to mention that the said truck was in fact my personal truck and my son had the privilege of driving it, I would not have this charge. The charge was because I told my son that I to move his truck or I would slash his tires. Can I have help with this on my record please? Thank you for your time. Tanya Winters

Answer: A person’s record can be “set aside” after the person has completed their sentence. A “set aside” order will help to modify a person’s criminal or conviction record, however, this does not mean that the original record is gone. A set aside helps mainly to release the defendant from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the conviction with some exceptions. The record also indicates that the person successfully completed all court requirements and the Court vacated the judgment and dismissed the charges. If a person with a set aside record is asked to provide information about prior convictions or incarceration when seeking employment then the person must legally give that information. The article Setting Aside Convictions and Restoring Civil Rights (http://www.azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?mc=13&sc=66&articleid=147) can provide more information.