Expunctions were created to allow a fresh start for people who were wrongly arrested or charged with a criminal offense. An expungement is a powerful court order to law enforcement agencies and criminal record depositories to destroy all records of an arrest and prosecution. Typically, the court orders the destruction of all jail records, police reports, prosecution reports, and court files. When they cannot be destroyed, the court will order that all of your identifying information be redacted from the records. After your record is expunged, you can deny its existence. Furthermore, it is illegal for anyone to publish information related to an expunged offense. Expunging criminal records in Texas is controlled by the Code of Criminal Procedure, Title 1, Chapter 55, Expunction of Criminal Records. Ask yourself these questions to see if you can get an expungement in Texas (or expunction in legalese) – and wipe your criminal records clean.