The last thing you want is someone poking around in your past and judging you for the mistakes you made when you were a kid or a teenager. Unfortunately, juvenile records can be accessed by everyone from law enforcement to educational institutions. While laws vary from state to state, juvenile records are not automatically sealed once you turn 18 in Texas.
However, some juvenile offenses can be sealed fairly easily.
In cases where no finding of delinquent conduct was found on you, there’s no waiting period to have it sealed. This means you can petition the courts to have it hidden right away. If you have a misdemeanor adjudication and they found you guilty of delinquent conduct, you have to wait two years after you’ve finished your deferral. If you’ve waited that long and have no subsequent run-ins with the law, you’re free to apply to have it sealed. Juvenile felonies are a bit harder to seal; you have to wait until you’re 21. If you have no subsequent convictions or felonies and the case wasn’t transferred to criminal court, you’re free to file. If you received a determinate sentence or you were charged with an aggravated felony or sex offense, the records can’t be sealed.
Sealing your record comes with many advantages that will benefit you in your adult life. In Texas, as soon as your record has been sealed, you can legally deny the arrest or charge and treat it as if it never happened. You’re allotted the same opportunities as someone who has never been arrested, which is especially important for young adults who have a lifetime of job, educational, and licensing applications ahead of them. Additionally, law enforcement officials must act as though your record doesn’t exist when questioned about you. Juvenile records that have been sealed can only be opened with the permission of the courts for few purposes: to receive a license to carry a concealed weapon, inspect your own records, or if you are tried on another felony.
If the courts order to seal a juvenile offense, the records are then ready to be expunged. You are eligible to expunge these records if you’re older than 17—as long as you haven’t picked up an additional conviction since then.
For more information on sealing or expunging your record, call Easy Expunctions at 1-866-899-0266.
