If you have a criminal record in Indiana, it may interfere with your ability to seek employment. Your actions can follow you into interviews, background checks and job offers. While many employers will want to know about your criminal history, state laws also provide you with some degree of protection through expungement. Before you apply for a job, it helps to understand which parts of your criminal record are relevant and what your potential employers can do with them.
Are criminal records easy to access?
In Indiana, many employers run background checks, and this often includes examining your criminal records. These checks often play a major role in determining your eligibility for employment if the job involves trust, money, or licensing. Your criminal record also matters more for jobs that require you to handle or take care of children or vulnerable adults.
Many criminal court records are publicly available unless restricted by law, which can make informal screening easy even before a formal check. If your record qualifies for expungement, Indiana law can limit what employers are able to see. What you must disclose depends on the type of case and the outcome under Indiana Code Section 35-38-9.
Bear in mind that expungement limits public access, but some employers in sensitive fields may still see or consider certain information depending on the role.
What can you do to protect your job prospects?
While a criminal record can make it more difficult to get a job, understanding your rights and options can help you move forward. To help you see what information employers have access to, you can request a copy of your criminal record. You may also qualify for expungement under Indiana law, which can limit what information your employers can access. This can potentially improve your job prospects.
