Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

"QUESTION: When is a juvenile offender eligible to seal a juvenile court record?

ANSWER: Eligibility rules vary from state to state. Typically, eligibility for record-sealing depends on such factors as: (1) Age- Usually, a petitioner must be an adult (18 years old) to be eligible for record-sealing. (2) How much time has passed since an offense was committed or since the juvenile court proceedings ended- Often, even if a juvenile offender has reached adulthood, the offender has to wait a specified period of time (perhaps five years) from the date of an offense or from the termination of juvenile court proceedings. (3) Seriousness of the juvenile court offense- Misdemeanor records may be more readily sealed than felony records. (4) Conduct following the juvenile court proceedings- A juvenile offender with later criminal violations may be ineligible to have juvenile court records sealed." -From, "The Criminal Law Handbook" By: Bergman & Berman-Barrett