Take a second to think about some of the goals and passions in your life.  Most of us may think about globetrotting to our favourite places around the world or furthering our education to achieve our career goals.   Now imagine having those things being taken away from you.  Not being able to volunteer for a meaningful cause or having to back out of a long anticipated trip to Las Vegas with your friends, are only a couple examples of how a criminal record can affect your life negatively.  A misconduct with the law that occurred in the past can interfere with your future plans to become a nurse or even your chances of becoming a parent through an adoption agency.  Removing your criminal record from the Canadian Police Information Centre Database (CPIC) can help you can gain back the freedom of living your life without these many limitations.

If you have ever been charged of a criminal offence in the past, the Canadian Police Information Centre database, also known as CPIC, allows police forces and law enforcement partners to view all the information pertaining to your record.  It is important to note that the information relating to your criminal record is also shared with the United States, so both American and Canadian border guards can have access to a traveler’s past offences.  This information will stay in the database unless a Record Suspension or a Police File Destruction is pursued.  Either of these two options will permanently remove all information regarding your record.

It is common that individuals may not even be aware that they have a criminal record.  For instance, if an individual is charged with a criminal offence and the charge is subsequently dismissed, withdrawn, or stayed, that individual will still have a criminal record.  A record of the person being charged is kept, as well as their finger prints and photographs.  This is why, in this situation, a police file destruction would be necessary to remove the information from the CPIC.  A minor run-in with the law can be enough to put a halt on upcoming plans such as those involving travel, schooling and volunteering.

Client Advisors at Pardon Services Canada work on behalf of clients in petitioning to have fingerprints and photographs destroyed and to have the records of any charge(s) removed from the local and national (CPIC) databases.  As a result, people gain peace of mind in knowing they can once again live their life freely without the heavy burden of a past mistake. At Pardon Services Canada, our goal is to make sure your past doesn’t limit your future.