Juvenile Records: A National Review of State Laws on Confidentiality, Sealing and Expungement
Published Nov 13, 2014, Riya Saha Shah, Esq. and Lauren A. Fine, Esq., Juvenile Law Center
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Public access to records of juvenile arrests, court proceedings and dispositions can impede successful transitions to adulthood for many youth, especially when these records remain available long after the youth’s involvement with the juvenile justice system has ended. These records can create obstacles for youth seeking employment, education, housing and other opportunities.
This Review provides an overview of how juvenile records are treated nationwide. In order to provide a comprehensive review, the authors surveyed state statutes, court rules, and case law governing the treatment of juvenile records in each jurisdiction. Because what is codified in law does not always reflect practice, the authors supplemented research, when possible, with interviews with practitioners.
