Originally Posted by citation35hf

An arrest does not guarantee a criminal history, the local prosecutor must "file" charges in order for one to have a "criminal history". If for instance, you are arrested and the prosecutor does not go through with filing charges, you will not have a criminal history.

In most jurisdictions to expunge a criminal history charge, one must have been found not guilty or the charge must have been dismissed. To do this, you need an attorney to "petition" the court as to why the charge should be removed from your criminal history. If this is granted, the court will contact the NCIC center and the arrest/charge can be permanently removed from your criminal history.