On December 10, 2009, the Senate passed a bill that would allow judges to reduce these mandatory prison sentences or even impose PROBATION depending on the circumstances of the case. Judges will now be able to take into consideration whether children were present; whether school was in session and the proximity to the school when determining an appropriate sentence. Finally, the Legislature has agreed that all “School Zone” cases are not the same and shouldn’t be treated as such.

The present bill will allow lawyers to argue various factors to make sure that their clients receive an appropriate sentence that could include drug treatment or probationary supervision to rehabilitate them, rather than just filling the prisons with non-violent offenders. This modification of the law is another step away from the one-size-fits-all type of sentencing that has tied the hands of judges and lawyers across the State for over two decades.

W. Les Hartman

As the current rate of unemployment in America reaches 10%, much of America’s workforce is struggling to maintain their current jobs or find new employment. Even highly skilled professionals and employees with vast amounts of work experience have become understandably nervous about their ability to support themselves and their families.

Given this current climate potential employees need every advantage they can get. One such advantage is to be able to answer “no” to the question of whether you have been arrested or convicted of a crime or criminal offense. Employers in the United States perform tens of thousands of backgrounds checks each year on not only new, but existing employees. The result could be the loss of your current job or your removal from consideration for that job you are trying to get.

Many of us have had contact with law enforcement in our youth or as a result of being in the ”wrong place at the wrong time”. In fact, approximately 1 in every 7 people have some sort of criminal background that could affect your ability to get a job when competing with someone without a criminal record with the same or similar qualifications.

Fortunately, there is a way of removing these old mistakes from your record and making you more competitive in this difficult job market. New Jersey law provides us with the ability to erase almost any arrest or conviction by requesting an “Expungement” of your record from the Superior Court. While some matters are not eligible for expungement and various waiting periods apply, most matters can be successfully removed and treated as if they never happened.

Upon completion of an expungement, a person’s criminal history will be wiped clean from their record. Additionally, if asked on a job application or at an interview whether they have ever been or arrested or convicted of crime or criminal offense, the expungement allows this person to answer “no”. This can be especially important when applying for government jobs since there are various restrictions involving public employment when an employee or potential employee has a criminal record.

At Kalavruzos, Mumola, Hartman, LLC we have handled hundreds of expungements with a near perfect success rate. After filing the Petition for Expungement our clients routinely leave with a clean record in approximately 30 to 90 days. To ask more questions about the expungement process visit Kalavruzos, Mumola, Hartman at our website at KMHlawyers.com or telephone W. Les Hartman, Esq. at (609) 586-9000.