Did a stupid thing when I was 18... Afraid it's going to haunt me forever. When I was 18, I plead guilty to retail theft and was given 30 hours of community service, which I completed in a month. This was back in December of 2009. A few months ago, I submitted a background check request to the Illinois State Police, just to see what it would say. Their response: "A search of the files of this bureau made pursuant to the UCIA name based inquiry, failed to reveal any criminal conviction record for the subject in question."

This confuses the hell out of me. I'm currently trying to find a job, and cringe every time I'm asked the criminal history question. Do I have a record or not? How should I be answering that question on an employment application?