A criminal record can be a bar to certain types of employment, licensing, holding public office, and even the right to vote. Most states allow for a process called expungement that will remove certain arrests or criminal convictions from the offender's record.

Depending upon the laws of the state in which you live and the nature of the crime, you may be able to get an arrest or conviction sealed or erased from your legal record. After the expungement process is complete, you will not need to disclose the conviction on a job or school application, and in most instances no record of the arrest or conviction will show up during a public records inspection or background check commonly done by potential employers, landlords, and educational institutions.

In North Dakota, records of conviction for possession of ounce ounce or less of marijuana and DNA records related to convictions later reversed or to a case that is dismissed may be expunged.

The following individuals may be eligible for an expungement in North Dakota: A person who was convicted of possessing one ounce or less of marijuana and has had no other convictions may apply for expungement of the conviction after two years; and A person whose arrest that led to the inclusion of the DNA profile has not resulted in a felony charge within one year; has been resolved by a dismissal, acquittal, or misdemeanor conviction; has not resulted in a felony conviction; or the conviction on which the authority for including the DNA profile was based has been reversed or the case dismissed.

For a full overview of expungement law in the state of North Dakota, see the USLegal website.