Getting Juvenile Records Sealed
When you’re under the age of 18, any arrests, trials, or involvement with the justice system are filed under your juvenile record. After you turn 18, everything will be listed on your adult record. Fortunately, there is an option to seal your juvenile records.Why Seal Your Records
Even though things on your juvenile record happened before you were a legal adult, these actions can continue to follow you. Your juvenile record can be accessed by many public agencies including schools, courts, the police, and more. If you have a background check done, then your juvenile records can be viewed as well. With any kind of record, it’s more challenging to get a job, qualify for a loan, rent property, go to college, or even get your driver’s license. Having your records sealed allows you to legally say you don’t have a criminal record and your past actions can’t stand in the way of future opportunities.Automatic Sealing
In some cases, your records will be automatically sealed. Before anything else, you should check to see if this is true for your case. Automatic sealing will occur if your case has been dismissed in any way. A case may be dismissed by the court if you have not committed a crime listed in Welfare and Institutions Code section 707(b). Crimes under this code include violent offenses such as murder, rape, or kidnapping. Your case will also be dismissed and automatically sealed if you were offered probation or a similar program and successfully completed it.Requesting Your Records Be Sealed
If your records have not been automatically sealed, you can request for them to be sealed. To do so, you need to be 18 years of age or five years must have passed since the case closed. The court must also agree that you have been fully rehabilitated. If you committed a crime listed in section 707(b), there are further stipulations. To have your records sealed, you simply need to request that the court seal them. There is no fee to have your records sealed, but it can take months so you should plan accordingly. Sealing your records can allow you to be free of past mistakes you made in your youth. These mistakes don’t need to follow you and affect your life. Look into the details of your case and see what steps you need to take. The Law Offices of Bradley Corbett can offer you expert legal advice. Click here to schedule a consultation.
Bradley Corbett
Bradley Corbett is a criminal defense attorney in San Diego. He graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo Utah in 2004. Later he enrolled at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego where he participated in a prestigious internship program with the Los Angeles County Public Defender. Since then he has handled over 2,000 cases.