The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program basically has a person plead not guilty to criminal charges but agree to accept a punishment from the court. By completing the punishment, the person is able to file paperwork to have the charges dismissed and then expunged. The “punishment” portion of ARD often includes a period of supervision by the probation department, completion of counseling classes and programs, payment of program costs and fees, and community service. The precise requirements of ARD often vary depending upon the criminal charges, and the ARD program often varies from county to county. In order to determine the precise ARD requirements, you should discuss the matter with a criminal defense attorney that has experience in handling cases in the county in which the case was filed. Some people think of ARD as being a first-time offender program, meaning a person that has been in trouble in the past cannot be approved for ARD. That is not necessarily the case. A prior criminal record or a prior ARD are factors that are considered when determining ARD eligibility and approval. Some prosecutors will permit ARD if a person has only had minor scrapes in the past with the law. The more lenghty the criminal record, the less likely it is that a prosecutor will approve ARD.