Expungement refers to the clearing of a criminal record. In Texas, some arrests can be expunged from criminal records through a legal process that results in something called an expunction. An expunction in Texas is a court order that requires law enforcement to destroy records related to a specific arrest, effectively permanently erasing all documents and details regarding that offense from criminal record databases. Once a signed expunction order is issued to someone, he or she can legally deny having ever been arrested, charged, or prosecuted for the offense. That said, some offenses do not qualify for expunction.