If you are legally changing your name, include it on your state criminal history assessment.
Legally changing your name requires a substantial amount of paperwork. Among the parties that should be notified are your state's department of motor vehicles, the IRS, your bank and your employer. One often-overlooked but important name change is on your criminal history assessment. A criminal history assessment is a record of all of your past arrests and convictions. Formally declaring your name change is likely required if you are on parole or probation. Even if you have no criminal history, you should change your name on your criminal history assessment for potential employers. Note that the requirements vary by state.
Instructions
Changing Your Name
1. File an official name change. You will need a name change form, which may be called a "deed poll" or "deed of name change." Though you can change your name at a number of locations, including the state DMV or its equivalent, it is recommended that you do it through your local Social Security office. Most states require that your new name and Social Security number match before allowing any other name changes, especially on a driver's license. It is no different for your criminal history assessment.
2. Obtain a personal criminal history. For a small fee ($25 in California), any individual may obtain a criminal history of all arrests and convictions in a particular state. The criminal history should list the date of your arrest and all subsequent dispositions in your case, including hearings, trials, conviction and sentencing. It will also list the counties and judicial districts in which each took place. You should obtain a criminal history in each state where you have any criminal history, regardless of whether you were actually convicted of a crime.
3. Submit a name change form in each jurisdiction where you have a criminal history. For example, if you have an arrest for marijuana possession in Santa Monica, you should file for a name change with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Or, if you were convicted of theft in Rockville, Maryland, you should file a similar document with the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. You can probably find a criminal history assessment name change form online as a PDF. Otherwise, contact the jurisdiction's office of parole and probation or its equivalent for more information.
4. Follow up. Don't assume that because you have submitted your form you are in the clear. Government bureaucracies can be slow to process paperwork. Call the office every few days to make sure that the name change has gone through.
Tags: name change, criminal history, history assessment, criminal history, criminal history assessment, your name
