Criminal

A crime is a wrong against the state. When a crime is committed, the government is prosecuting the individual. In other words, the whole weight of the state is against the person. There will never be a greater imbalance of authority. A lawyer will serve to put things back in balance.

And be aware that certain criminal records can be expunged. In other words, they are erased, for most purposes, such that the crime is deemed never to have occurred