How to Get an Expungment for a Misdemeanor

[Enowil]

My question involves criminal records for the state of: Mississippi. I have a 2004 conviction in the state of Mississippi for misdemeanor telephone harassment. I paid a fine and court costs at the time of the conviction. There have been no other complaints against me and no previous convictions. How do I go about getting it expunged? I am unemployed at this time and it is liable to cause me problems on a background check. Thanks.

[Mr. Knowitall]

The process is governed by the following statute:

(1) Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor, excluding a conviction for a traffic violation, and who is a first offender, may petition the justice, county, circuit or municipal court, as may be applicable, for an order to expunge any such conviction from all public records. Upon entering such order, a nonpublic record thereof shall be retained by the court and by the Mississippi Criminal Information Center solely for the purpose of determining whether, in subsequent proceedings, such person is a first offender. The effect of such order shall be to restore such person, in the contemplation of the law, to the status he occupied before such arrest. No person as to whom such order has been entered shall be held thereafter under any provision of law to be guilty of perjury or to have otherwise given a false statement by reason of his failure to recite or acknowledge such arrest or conviction in response to any inquiry made of him for any purpose, except for the purpose of determining in any subsequent proceedings under this section, whether such person is a first offender.

(2) Upon petition therefor, a justice, county, circuit or municipal court shall expunge the record of any case in which an arrest was made, the person arrested was released and the case was dismissed or the charges were dropped or there was no disposition of such case.

[Enowil]

Thank you. I appreciate your time and effort.