I have a friend whom, while he was a minor, got into some trouble and was arrested for breaking into and robbing a high school. He said that he and his friends were Juvenileized. We got into a conversation and he said that in seven years that his record is wiped clean. I said that your record is never wiped clean. I said that if he wanted to join the CIA or the army that they would find out. We live in Delaware if that helps. So what’s the deal. Do records ever get wiped clean?
I believe that juvenile records are ‘sealed’ when you turn 18. Sealed doesn’t mean it goes away, but in theory it means that it’s much harder for anyone to see it. My understanding is that an agency with legitimate rights to see it must obtain a court order, but I don’t know how hard this is. Also, nothing stops these agencies from asking your former friends, classmates, teachers, etc. about the case, and they may be able to get plenty of info that way.
No. It all stays. When the juvenile grows up and commits the same crime as an adult, she is treated as a first time offender, and sentenced as one as well.
Whether or not a juvenile record will show up on a background check depends upon who’s asking.
Juvinile records (in general) are only available through official means, as in the court, police etc. The CIA and FBI, I believe would be able to access them.
THe FBI is very, very diligent in their background checks. I had to fill one out once. A temporary, part time former employee of mine had applied with them. Very long, involved thing, included all sorts of stuff (“did I ever have a reason to believe that she’d taken illegal drugs of any kind?” sort of thing).
As far as an other potential employer would be concerned, my experience is that only adult public records can be checked. This does not mean that the records themselves have been physically destroyed.