That seals any record of a person who charged with a crime and not convicted? How about one that expunges their record if they have no other offense in say 10 years? People do some dumb things especially when they are young. Should one mistake follow you for the rest of your life?
ktterdfurguson
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To me, if you are charged with a crime and not convicted, there should be no evidence of it! Why should you have to pay for something you weren't convicted of?
People DO dumb things when they are young, but expunging records after ten years of no crimes committed would have to depend on the crime for me. No automatic clean slate for theft, rape, drugs, dui, etc. One mistake shouldn't have to follow you, but doesn't it depend on the severity of the mistake?
Vaughn
No, we shouldn't. I already have a problem with the fact that juvenile records are sealed, because sometimes they lay out one heck of an argument (such as a history of pet-torture) that indicates how seriously a person's adult crimes should be taken. If you're charged and not convicted, that information doesn't hold a lot of power against you in court anyway. But a real mistake SHOULD be recorded, in case what was an instance turns into a pattern.
Anonymous
Actually Vaughn couldn't be MORE WRONG. A juvenile record is only sealed from public record but not from the courts. If a defendant in an adult criminal trial is found guilty the judge will see both juvenile and adult records in front of him.
Also all arrests, and both juvenile and adult records will come up on an FBI background check for federal jobs and military.
I agree with the record but I TOTALLY disagree with arrests showing up. Arrest is nothing more than simply being accused. If your found Not Guilty people still treat you like a criminal with an arrest.
cormucus
You could try petitioning your local political representative to present this as a bill, we have the same situation in Australia do the crime do the time but why be reminded for the rest of your life ? Good luck
sparkles
For nonviolent crimes, expungment of their record is the way to go. Remember it is a MAJOR LEGAL EVENT.