California law provides a legal process to remove or reduce a person’s criminal convictions for certain offenses. According to Penal Code 1203.4, this process removes “all penalties and disabilities” associated with the conviction. Under Penal Code 1203.4 PC, people with convictions for certain felonies or misdemeanors, and who meet additional sentencing and/or probation requirements (described later on this page) may be able to have their convictions expunged. If your petition is successful, the Court will re-open your case and set aside your guilty plea (or a jury’s guilty verdict) and dismiss the State’s case against you.   Expungement does not completely remove all traces of the conviction from your criminal record. Instead, it alters your record to show that the Court dismissed the criminal complaint “in the interests of justice.”