expunge criminal record, removing an 8 year old shoplifting charge in CA, expungement

This conviction will stay on your criminal record forever.

It is possible to expunge an offense. There is a statutory process to go through. You must first request the expungement from the police department that made the arrest, and if refused, then you must go to court and ask the judge to do so. There are no guarantees in this process, however, and the result is typically dependent on the charges and your record.

Even if you succeed in expunging your record, your conviction will always be available to the police and district attorney. Once expunged, it is no longer available to the general public.

The answer depends on what record you are talking about. There is no way to remove all traces of your record. You can file a motion under Penal Code 1203.4 that will result is the conviction being set aside and the case being dismissed. With the grant of the motion, you can say that you have no conviction. However, the fact that it occurred must be stated when applying for a goverment position--not if you are applying for private employment. You need to contact a local attorney to find out if a 1203.4 motion works for you in this case.

A criminal conviction remains on your record for the rest of your life, unless you have the conviction expunged under Penal Code Section 1203.4. You are eligible for expungment if you have completed your probation successfully, are no longer on probation for any offense, and have no active or pending cases or warrants. An experienced criminal defense attorney should be able to assist you if you do not want to do this yourself.