The San Bernardino County Public Defender will be providing information for expungements, record sealing and certificates of rehabilitation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 27 at a Health and Wellness Expo being held at Sewell Park in Fontana.
Some individuals who are not eligible to petition the court to set aside a conviction pursuant to California Penal Code section 1203.4 or 1203.4a may be eligible for a Certificate of Rehabilitation (COR), which is a court order that a person convicted of a felony is now rehabilitated. If the COR is granted, it becomes an application that is forwarded to the governor for a pardon. The governor may grant or deny the pardon.
Once a person has completed the required period of rehabilitation, a person may file for a COR in his/her current county of residence.
Public Defender staff assists individuals with becoming productive and positive members of the community by clearing criminal convictions through a process that is often referred to as an expungement.
Qualifying individuals seeking to clear their criminal records will submit a petition to the court pursuant to California Penal Code section 1203.4 or 1203.4a. The petition must be filed in the county where the conviction originated. In other words, San Bernardino courts will only handle petitions on San Bernardino County convictions. If the court grants the petition, the guilty plea is withdrawn and replaced with a not guilty plea, and then the court subsequently dismisses the case.
The court’s act of granting the petition does not destroy the court’s record of conviction. However, it may assist individuals with obtaining employment or registering for school. This is just one aspect of our holistic approach towards rehabilitation and reintegration in a way that benefits the community.
Forms can be located at www.sbpubdef.com under the Community Outreach section or questions can be answered at the event.
For more information visit the Public Defender’s website at http://www.sbpubdef.com/community-outreach/expungement-program.html or call (909) 382-3950.