| Expungement (also called "purging") is a court-ordered | | | | In most of such cases it is possible to purge a criminal |
| process in which the legal record of an arrest or a | | | | record, when the person turns eighty years old and |
| criminal conviction is "sealed" (removed from certain | | | | there has been no criminal activity reported in the |
| sections of the database where it is stored) or erased | | | | previous 10 years, still there are some exceptions. If |
| in the eyes of the law. The availability of this process | | | | the person was sentenced to life, was classified as a |
| depends on type of violation, criminal history and laws | | | | dangerous offender or is still under a court ordered |
| of the state or county in which the arrest or conviction | | | | sentence. In each of these instances, the record is |
| occurred. | | | | kept until: the sentence is complete and the person has |
| Expungement is very useful process for people who | | | | been crime free for 10 years, the person is 100 years |
| want to make a new start. For example if your | | | | old or there is confirmation that the person is |
| criminal record was purged you don’t need to | | | | deceased. |
| mention it in a job application with all the other data like | | | | 2. Criminal Code Offences with no Disposition (Stays, |
| education or working experience. Your potential | | | | Withdrawn Charges and Acquittals) |
| employer, educational institution, or other company will | | | | In this type of case the charged person makes a |
| also have no possibility to find your criminal record with | | | | request to the charging police service and asks to |
| a public search. So after a record was purged you | | | | have the record purged. |
| don’t need to mention it anywhere. | | | | 3. Alternative Measures Programs (Diversion |
| The criminal records in Canada are stored in Criminal | | | | Programs) |
| Records Information Management Services (CRIMS). | | | | As an alternative way in this case the information is |
| CRIMS is a large centralized database founded in 1972 | | | | not entered into the CPIC database. Nevertheless |
| and operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police | | | | information related to charges is entered but |
| (RCMP) under the Canadian Police Information Centre | | | | subsequently dealt with by a diversion program and is |
| (CPIC). | | | | purged from the CPIC database. |
| This database holds all the information required for | | | | 4. Discharges (Absolute and Conditional) |
| police investigations like all convictions for which a | | | | The cases that have absolute discharge are purged |
| pardon has not been granted, all charges regardless of | | | | from system after one year, the cases with conditional |
| disposition, outstanding warrants and charges, all judicial | | | | discharges are purged within three years. |
| orders and other information. | | | | 5. Pardons |
| In Canada it is possible to completely remove a criminal | | | | If the defendant is pardoned his or her records are |
| record. It is called purging and the conditions of purging | | | | purged from the part of CPIC that is accessible by |
| a record depend on the type of the case. | | | | police and moved to a part that is available to certain |
| 1. Criminal Code Offences with a Disposition | | | | people only. |