If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
Yeah, but "the time" is a lifetime for some dumb thing you did when you were young, wild, and stupid.
At 21, I was arrested for being drunk and stupid enough to tangle with some gung-ho cops. To complicate matters, it involved a cop who lied. Fortunately, the judge was wise to the cop, or it might have been worse. For 27 years now, if I apply for a job and check the "yes" box at the question, "Have you ever been arrested?", I'm OUT at the ground floor. Believe me. I finally learned to just lie. Have gotten some great smaller jobs doing that, but larger companies have better resources, so whether you lie or not, you're out. It may have been a blessing in disguise, because ultimately it forced me to be self-employed. I'm content with my working lot.
I sympathize with this expungement thing on arrests made for being under the influence of youth and stupidity, but the better answer is for prospective employers to not be so high-and-mighty. The bitterness one feels against them is not constructive. The "F" word comes to mind.