Criminal records in Dallas can be addressed and cleaned up in the Expunction Expo hosted by the Dallas County according to a Dallas Morning News article from July 6 which reports, 

“The Dallas County district attorney’s and district clerk’s offices announced their sixth annual Expunction Expo on Tuesday.

The program, which involves the Dallas County public defender’s office and other community partners, offers some residents a chance to clear their criminal records. Expunctions may be granted for people who were arrested but were never charged or indicted, or in some cases, if a criminal charge was dismissed or a person was acquitted, pardoned or completed deferred adjudication.

“The Expo has continued to grow each year and that means we have been able to help more people get a fresh start and become contributing members of society again,” District Attorney John Creuzot said in a written statement. “Many people may not be able to obtain gainful employment, attend college or serve in the military because of something on their record that can be eliminated. This is an opportunity for them to change their lives for the better.”

According to a WFAA article, there are certain criterias that must be met in order to successfully remove existing criminal records and there are also criterias that will pave the way for expunction when present. They say, 

“People with offenses on their criminal record may qualify for an expunction if any of the following apply:

• You were arrested but a charge was never filed, was no-billed by the grand jury, or was rejected by the District Attorney’s Office

• Your felony, Class A misdemeanor, or Class B misdemeanor charge was dismissed without any type of community supervision or probation prior to the dismissal

• Your Class C misdemeanor was dismissed, or you successfully completed Class C deferred adjudication

• You were acquitted (found “not guilty”) of your charge by a judge, jury, or appellate court

• You were convicted of a crime but later pardoned by the Texas Governor or the United States President

• You were convicted before Sept. 01, 2021 for Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon under Section 46.02(a) of the Penal Code

A case is not eligible for an expunction, if:

• The case is still pending

• You were convicted in the case, even if you only paid a fine 

• You received probation, community supervision or deferred adjudication for a felony, Class A misdemeanor, or Class B misdemeanor you want expunged, even if your case was later dismissed

• The case you want expunged is a felony, and you were arrested for another offense at the same time that resulted in a conviction, probation, community supervision, or deferred adjudication.”

Last year, the expo garnered the most number of applications when the county received 1,300.