Q: Am I able to expunge my felony criminal mischief conviction from 2000 (when I was 17) ? That was my 1st and only arrest

A: I am sorry but no, you c/n get a conviction expunged. However you may be able to get your record sealed, especially juvenile records. But even if it is not juvenile charges you may still get the record sealed, depending adequate time has passed and no further infractions. Find a lawyer in the county where you were charged, and good luck to you.

A: I copied the following from the Texas State Bar website:

Nondisclosure Orders--

If expunction is not an option due to the nature of the offense, charge or conviction, it may be possible to obtain an Order for Nondisclosure. A nondisclosure order does not completely destroy all record of any offense, but will limit the accessibility of the records. Records subject to a nondisclosure order are removed from public record and cannot be released or accessed by certain private parties. However, the records will remain available to government agencies and will be admissible in certain court actions. Under the Government Code §411.081, a person who has successfully completed deferred adjudication and received a discharge and dismissal of the deferred adjudication may apply for a nondisclosure order.

A: Under current law, your only path to expunction eligibility requires a pardon from the Governor of Texas. You can download a pardon application form on the website for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Nondisclosure after a waiting period might have been an option only if either (1) you successfully completed deferred adjudication probation or (2) your first conviction was a misdemeanor... again this is under CURRENT law.

The reason I am focused on CURRENT law is that the nondisclosure possibility was only created about 20 years ago and the legislature has tweaked that law frequently. Until recently it was reserved for only deferred adjudication... nondisclosure of the first misdemeanor only recently became law. I am not aware of any 2019 law that allows sealing the first FELONY but you should check back in 2021 because the law might have changed.