An expungement is a judicial order requiring the destruction of a person's official records relating to them being taken into custody, charges filed, adjudication and disposition (fingerprint cards, photographs, record keeping, etcetera). The effect of the order is to restore the person, in the contemplation of the law, as to the status occupied before being taken into custody.

The proliferation of criminal background checks as part of the job application and screening process require that a person's criminal history be as clean and spotless as possible.