May 10, 2023, Vacating a Felony Conviction in Washington State: What You Need to Know

If you have a felony conviction on your record, you may not have considered vacating it yet. However, vacating a conviction can offer several benefits, including the ability to state that you have not been convicted of a crime for employment and housing purposes. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what you need to know about vacating a felony conviction in Washington State.

First, it’s essential to understand that most class B and C felonies are eligible for vacating after 5 or 10 years, depending on the offense. The general requirement is that you’ve completed what you were told to do and otherwise stayed out of trouble. For example, if you were convicted of a class B felony, you must wait ten years from the date of your release from confinement, including community custody or post-prison supervision. If you were convicted of a class C felony, you must wait five years from the date of your release from confinement, including community custody or post-prison supervision.

The vacating process is relatively smooth and not very hands-on for clients. You can hire a criminal record attorney like Stefanie Dorn from the Law Office of Stefanie Dorn to assist you. The attorney can guide you through the process, which typically involves filing a motion with the court and attending a hearing. If the court grants your motion, the court will enter an order vacating your conviction. The order will state that you have not been convicted of the crime for all purposes, including housing and employment.

It’s essential to note that vacating a conviction doesn’t erase your criminal record. Instead, it creates a separate record that shows the conviction has been vacated. However, the separate record is not visible to the public or most employers, and you can state that you have not been convicted of the crime. If you’re interested in vacating a felony conviction in Washington State, don’t hesitate to contact the Law Office of Stefanie Dorn. Stefanie Dorn is a criminal record attorney who has helped many clients through the vacating process. You can call her office at 206-222-8829 or visit her website at https://www.attorneydorn.com for more information.