Expungement of Utah Juvenile Court Record

There are times when a person with a Utah juvenile court record may wish to apply for expungement of that record. Having your record expunged means that you petition the court to either destroy or seal your juvenile court record, making the record unavailable to either state or federal officials. A benefit of expungement is that you don’t have to worry about mistakes that you made as a youth “follow” you throughout adult life.

Qualifications to Apply for Expungement

Two things must have happened before you can apply to have your record expunged:

• You must be 18 years old
• One year has to have passed since the date the juvenile court terminated jurisdiction over you or since you were unconditionally released from the custody of Juvenile Justice Services

The person applying for expungement must also provide the court with documentation related to the offense and a copy of the original criminal history report from the Bureau of Criminal Identification, as well as send a copy of his expungement petition to the pertinent county or district attorney.

What Rules Must the Court Follow?

A hearing will be set by the court and people with applicable information about the person requesting expungement may be allowed to testify, such as the county attorney and victim.

Before granting an expungement request, the court considers the person’s rehabilitation efforts, current behavior and the nature and seriousness of the original misconduct, amongst other issues.

There are situations that will impede a person’s request to have his records sealed, including:

• Aggravated murder
• Murder

Request Assistance from a Utah Juvenile Defense Attorney

If you desire to have your or your child’s Utah juvenile court record expunged, it would be prudent to contact a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Allowing an attorney to help you understand the procedures involved may make you and your child’s experience much more successful.

Call a Utah juvenile defense attorney if you have any questions or concerns about a juvenile matter you or your child is involved with.