JUVENILE RECORDS DO NOT DISAPPEAR WHEN YOU TURN 18!
Unless you request an expungement, your juvenile history will stay in the court's system forever. For more information on expungement, click here.
Your juvenile case can impact you in a lot of ways that you might now expect. These are some examples
Employment - A future employer may ask about you juvenile history and can get copies of some juvenile records
Military – A recruiter may ask about your juvenile history and can deny enrollment in the military for certain offenses
Public police reports - Your name may be in a public police report. Some reports can be found online.
Future cases - A judge, prosecutor, and probation officer will be able to look up your juvenile history and can use it against you when determining release, bond amount and sentencing
Elementary, Middle and High School – Bad behavior and not following rules while at school, on school property, or at a school activity can result in a suspension or expulsion. Even breaking the law away from school can lead to a suspension or expulsion if it somehow interferes with school or education.
College – Many colleges ask about juvenile delinquency cases on their applications.
Twenty-First Century Scholarship Program – This program requires students to certify they have not committed any illegal activity or a delinquent act
Driver’s License – The court can invalidate or suspend your license or learner's permit due to certain juvenile offenses. This regularly happens on driving while intoxicated cases.
HIV testing – If you commit a sexual act or a drug offense that could transfer HIV, the court could order you to be tested for HIV.
Sex offender registry – If you commit a sex act a judge can place you on this public registry if it is likely you will commit a similar act in the future.
Future foster parent or kinship care – The Indiana Department of Child Services can deny a foster parent license if you have certain juvenile adjudications.
Government Assisted Housing – The housing authority may deny housing to someone whose family member is involved in certain criminal activity
You can learn more about how a juvenile case can impact you here.