What does “Deferred to Dismissal with a plea of not guilty” mean?
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What does “Deferred to Dismissal with a plea of not guilty” mean?
My UK marriage visa was denied because I didn’t put charges I had from 10 years ago on my application. I thought that because my charges were Deferred to Dismissal with a plea of not guilty, they meant they weren’t actual charges.
Asked on June 29, 2012 under Criminal Law, New Mexico
Answers:
Kevin Bessant / Law Office of Kevin Bessant & Associates
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
A deferred adjudication means that once you have been placed on a probation for a particular offense, upon the successful completion of the probation, the criminal charge will be dismissed. The problem with deferred adjudication's is that they will sometimes still appear on your criminal record as being a guilty plea that was later dismissed, and this information is open to the public. My advice is to attempt to have this case expunged from your record altogether. Once expunged, you can honestly say that you never plead guilty to any offense, and that offense will be removed from your record. You can consult a criminal defense attorney in your area to determine if you qualify for an criminal expungement.
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