Can an Arizona criminal record be expunged or erased?
No. Arizona law does not recognize an expungement of a criminal conviction so that it is erased from your record. However, Arizona law does provide that a person may have the judgment of guilt “set aside.” Under Arizona Revised Statute, section 13-907, an individual who has been convicted of a crime may request a “set aside” of her conviction under certain circumstances. For someone who is convicted of a felony, a set aside can be very important because it has the effect of releasing the individual “from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the conviction” with a few exceptions. While setting aside the judgment of guilt does not erase it from occurring, it does allow a person to explain that a judge has determined that judgment of guilt should be vacated. This may be persuasive when trying to convince someone that you have moved on from the incident.
