Under Wisconsin Statutes, if you were arrested and released without being charged with a crime—or if the charges against you were dropped or dismissed—you MAY be able to have the arrest removed from your record. If your fingerprints were taken, you may request that the fingerprint card be returned to you. If your information was sent to the FBI, you may request that the information be returned to you.
Despite the fact that the Department of Justice website states that Wisconsin law does not permit the removal of arrest information, Wisconsin statutes state, “Any person arrested or taken into custody and subsequently released without charge, or cleared of the offense through court proceedings, shall have any fingerprint record taken in conjunction therewith returned upon request.”
To qualify for this type of removal, all of the charges listed on the arrest fingerprint submission must have been dismissed or not charged. Charges amended to a lesser offense do not qualify for removal.
(For more information, see Section 165.84(1) of the Wisconsin Statutes and visit the Wisconsin Department of Justice website.)
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When your past criminal record is affecting your life and preventing you from achieving your goals, it is time to take action - it is time to seek an Expungement.
Yes, under Wisconsin law, some Expungements are mandatory, but these conditions MUST be met during sentencing...
Got an OWI? You will want to talk with a DUI defense attorney. Already convicted of drunk driving? Wondering about Expungement of a DUI conviction?
In some cases, Expungement Attorneys, Criminal Defense Lawyers or OWI DUI Attorneys are needed, while in other cases, an appellate attorney is needed to reopen the case or pursue an appeal of a prior criminal conviction.
Can a potential employer see your criminal record? What about your fellow workers? Who can read your criminal file?
Are juvenile criminal records automatically sealed when the juvenile turns 18? Does that Expunge them? What if the case is tried in adult court rather than juvenile court?
What is erased? See If Expunged. Erasing a criminal record, called 'Expungement' or 'Expunction' results in removing information from public view, such as on CCAP, also called sealing a criminal record. See also Expungement process.
Under Wisconsin law, you may have remedies for your conviction in addition to Expungement. In an OWI case, you may be able...
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Wisconsin Municipal Courts typically hear cases involving first-offense OWI DUI, traffic, parking, ordinance violations, juvenile matters, underage drinking, and curfew violations.
Wisconsin Circuit Courts are trial courts divided into branches. Most counties have one branch, some share judges. Most criminal cases, 2nd and more serious drunken driving cases and civil suits are heard in Circuit Courts. CCAP is the public access to criminal, civil and other Court records.
Wisconsin Courts of Appeals are intermediate Courts to which cases are appealed. Criminal cases can be appealed by the Defendant or the District Attorney's office. The Appellate Courts are located in Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and Wausau.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest Court in the state. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over appeals from lower Courts and other matters, as well as regulating and adminstrating the practice of law in Wisconsin.
Adults and some minors' cases are heard in adult courts in the State of Wisconsin.
Juveniles who are tried for criminal offenses have their cases heard in Juvenile Court unless they are waived into adult court.