Expunction of a Juvenile Record
If the child successfully completes a pre-arrest or post-arrest diversion program, then the child might be eligible for the expunction of the non-judicial arrest record.
As explained in §943.0582(6), the expunction of the juvenile diversion program record, does not prevent the child from petitioning for the court ordered expunction or sealing of a later criminal record, if the child is otherwise eligible.
The department charges a seventy-five dollar ($75) processing fee for each request for expunction.
Under §943.0582(2)(a)(1) and §985.125(3), if the child’s records are expunged using this process, the child is legally permitted to deny or fail to acknowledge the arrest and charge of the expunged record.
The only exception to that rule is that the record may be available if it is sought as part of a criminal investigation or when the child is a candidate for employment with a criminal justice agency as provided in §943.0582(2)(a)(1).
To expunge the diversion program record, the child must:
- Successfully complete a pre-arrest or post-arrest diversion program that expressly permits expunction to occur, and that is based on non-violent misdemeanors that do not qualify as acts of domestic violence;
- Submit an application for expunction, no later than 6 months after completion of the program;
- Submit an official written statement from the state attorney certifying the completion of the program, and that the program was limited to minors arrested for nonviolent misdemeanors who have not been otherwise charged with or found to have committed any criminal offenses or comparable ordinance violations; and
- Have never, prior to applying for expunction, been charged with or found to have committed any criminal offenses or comparable ordinance violations. §943.0582(3)(a)-(f).
Attorney to Expunge a Juvenile Record in Tampa, FL
The juvenile defense attorneys in Tampa, FL, at the Sammis Law Firm represent young people charged with criminal and juvenile offenses. In these cases, it is particularly important to make sure that the child’s future educational and career opportunities are not hampered by an arrest or prosecution in juvenile court.
The information below is not legal advice. For specific legal advice, you should contact an attorney to discuss the particular facts of your case. The general information provided below is for informational purposes only to help the juvenile or his parents understand potential issues.
If you wish to seal or expunge a juvenile record then contact an experienced attorney at the Sammis Law Firm. Our main office is located in downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County. We also have a second office located in New Port Richey, in Pasco County.
Call (813) 250-0500 to discuss the case today.
Obtaining a Juvenile Records under Florida Statute Section 943.053(3)
Florida Statute Section 943.053(3) provides:
“(a) Criminal history information, including information relating to minors… shall be available on a priority basis to criminal justice agencies for criminal justice purposes free of charge.
After providing the [CJIP] with all known identifying information, persons in the private sector and noncriminal justice agencies may be provided criminal history information upon tender of fees as established by this subsection and in the manner prescribed by the rule of the Department of Law Enforcement [FDLE]….
(b) The fee per record from criminal history information provided pursuant to this section is $23 per name submitted, except that the fee for vendors of [DCF, DJJ and DEA] shall be $8 for each name submitted. See Rule 11C-6.004, F.A.C.
Role of Law Enforcement in Releasing Florida Juvenile Records
Under Florida Statute Section 985.04(3), a law enforcement agency may release a copy of the juvenile offense report to the victim of the offense. Likewise, when a child or juvenile is taken into custody for a felony offense or a crime of violence, the arresting law enforcement agency must notify the superintendent of the alleged offender’s school. Florida Statute Section 985.04(4).
Expunction or Sealing Juvenile Records under Florida Law
When a parent finds out that that there is a way for the public to inspect a juvenile record, the next question is whether Florida law provides any relief that would prevent the public disclosure of a juvenile record.
Fortunately, there are several methods of protecting a juvenile record from being released to the public, including the petition to seal or expunge the juvenile record. As a preliminary matter, sealing and expunction of a juvenile record is not available to any individual who was adjudicated delinquent for any juvenile charge.
Juvenile Court Ordered Expunction
“Expunction” is defined under Florida law as the court-ordered physical obliteration or destruction of a record or any portion of the record by a criminal justice agency having custody of that record. See Florida Statute Section 943.045(13). FDLE must retain the record as confidential and exempt from Chapter 119 disclosure.
A criminal justice agency such as DJJ is permitted to retain a notation indicating compliance with an expunction order.
Likewise, FDLE is also authorized to disclose the existence of the record to criminal justice agencies for criminal justice purposes and to the listed entities such as the Florida Bar or the Department of Education for certain licensing and employment decisions under Florida Statute Section 943.0585(4).
Juvenile Court Ordered Sealing
“Sealing” is defined under Florida law as the “preservation of a record under such circumstances that it is secure and inaccessible to any person not having a legal right of access.” See Florida Statute 943.045(14).
Furthermore, sealing is usually available only for those juveniles who received a “withhold” from any adjudication of delinquency while expunction is available for juveniles who were not brought to trial under one of the following circumstances:
- a petition to formally file the charges were never filed by the State Attorney’s Office;
- the charges were filed in a petition but then dropped by the State Attorney’s Office prior to trial; or
- the court dismissed the charges during pre-trial hearings.
When sealed, a criminal history records is considered confidential and is not subject to public record disclosure under Florida Statute Chapter 119. Such a juvenile record can only be made available to:
- the person who is subject of the record;
- to criminal justice agencies “for their respective criminal justice purposes”;
- to listed entities who are authorized to consider the sealed record in making licensing determinations under Florida Statute Section 943.059(4) (such as the Florida Bar or the Department of Education, for example).
Definitions in the Juvenile Expunction Statutes
The term “criminal history record” is defined to include any nonjudicial record maintained by a criminal justice agency containing criminal history information, including notations or descriptions of detentions, arrests, formal criminal charges, or the ultimate disposition of such charges. See Florida Statute Section 943.045(4).
- The term “record” is defined to include all microfilm, writings, documents, computer memory or any other forms in which facts are memorialized, regardless of whether such records are a public record, admissible record, official record, or merely a copy thereof. See Florida Statute Section 943.045(7).
Types of Juvenile Expunctions – The Automatic Expunction
One type of expunction of juvenile records in Florida occurs naturally with the passage of time which requires no effort on the parent or young person’s part.
The criminal history records of juveniles are retained by the FDLE’s Criminal Justice Information Program until a young person turns 24 years old if the young person was not classified as a “serious habitual offender” or committed to a juvenile prison or a juvenile correctional facility.
If the juvenile was a serious habitual offender or committed to a juvenile prison or correctional facility, then the record is retained until the youth turns 26 years old. See Florida Statute Section 943.0515. The following types of juvenile offenses will not be automatically expunged under this provision:
- certain types of lewd and lascivious acts; or
- sexual battery.
Likewise, if the juvenile is subsequently convicted for a forcible felony after becoming an adult then the juvenile records will not be automatically expunged.
Non-judicial Juvenile Expunctions under Florida Law
Florida law recognizes two forms of nonjudicial expunctions:
- The administrative expunction; and
- The prearrest or postarrest diversion program expunction.
The non-judicial expunction is accomplished by the FDLE without resorting to any court filing or proceeding and covers only nonjudicial records of arrest which does not include court records related to the prosecution of the juvenile offense.
These administrative expunctions are intended to provide a simple method of removing records that were made contrary to the law or by mistake. An application by law enforcement may be made directly to the FDLE through a procedure set out in Florida Statute Section 943.0581 and in the Florida Administrative Code rule 11C-7.008.
Pre-arrest or Post-arrest Diversion Program Expunction
The pre-arrest or post-arrest diversion program expunction is available only one time after completion of a diversion program for a nonviolent misdemeanor pursuant to Florida Statute Section 943.0582. Not all diversion programs are subject to this provision and the youth must have successfully completed one of the diversion programs described in section 943.0582 and in Florida Administrative Code Rule 11C-7.009.
Generally, a person who has his or her nonjudicial arrest record expunged by the FDLE may lawfully deny or fail to acknowledge the arrest and the charge covered by the expunged record. Under Florida Statute 943.0582(2)(a)1, once expunged under this section, the criminal history record may only be made available to criminal justice agencies for one of the following purposes:
- determining eligibility for a subsequent pre-arrest or post-arrest diversion program;
- when the record is requested as part of a criminal investigation; or
- when the individual seeks employment with a criminal justice agency.
The term “expunction” means the physical destruction of a record or portion of a record by any criminal justice agency and the court that has the record. Section 943.045(16), F.S.
Section 943.0582(1), F.S., authorizes the FDLE to adopt rules to provide for the expunction of a nonjudicial arrest record of a juvenile who has successfully completed a prearrest or postarrest diversion program.
Section 943.0582(3)(a)-(e), F.S., provides that FDLE must expunge the nonjudicial arrest record of a juvenile who has successfully completed a prearrest or postarrest diversion program if that juvenile:
- Submits an application for prearrest or postarrest diversion expunction, on a form prescribed by the FDLE, signed by the juvenile’s parent or legal guardian, or by the juvenile if he or she has reached the age of majority at the time of applying;
- Submits to the FDLE, with the application, an official written statement from the state attorney for the county in which the arrest occurred certifying that:
- Has successfully completed that county’s prearrest or postarrest diversion program;
- Participation in the program was based on an arrest for a nonviolent misdemeanor; and
- The child has not otherwise been charged by the state attorney with, or found to have committed, any criminal offense or comparable ordinance violation;
- Participated in a prearrest or postarrest diversion program that expressly authorizes or permits such expunction;
- Participated in a prearrest or postarrest diversion program based on an arrest for a nonviolent misdemeanor that would not qualify as an act of domestic violence as defined in Section 741.287, F.S.; and
- Has never been, before filing the application for expunction, charged by the state attorney with, or found to have committed, any criminal offense or comparable ordinance violation.
The FDLE is authorized to charge a $75 processing fee for each request received for prearrest or postarrest diversion program expunction. As provided in Section 943.0582(4), F.S., the fee may be waived by the executive director.
The nonjudicial arrest record eligible for expunction by the FDLE is not expunged by the local criminal justice agencies in the county in which the arrest occurred. Section 943.0582(2)(a)2., F.S.
Section 943.0582(2)(a)2., F.S., requires that the records maintained by these local criminal justice agencies be sealed. Sealing of a record means the preservation of a record under such circumstances that it is secure and inaccessible to any person not having a legal right of access to the record of the information contained and preserved therein.
Expunction or sealing granted pursuant to s.943.0582, F.S., does not prevent a juvenile from petitioning for the expunction or sealing of a later criminal history record as provided for in other provisions of Florida law, if the juvenile is otherwise eligible. Section 943.0582(5), F.S.
Records Kept by FDLE in a Juvenile Case
The FDLE’s Criminal Justice Information program is Florida’s central criminal justice information repository. CJIP receives fingerprints and other records from individuals charged with or convicted of felonies and certain types of misdemeanors.
For minors charged in juvenile court, Florida Statutes Section 943.051 requires fingerprints be submitted for all felony charges and many misdemeanor charges including the following:
- any weapon charge;
- any firearm charge;
- petit theft or shoplifting;
- battery;
- assault; and
- exposure of sexual organs.
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is required to provide the CJIP with any dispositions for juvenile charges that would be felonies and any of the listed misdemeanors pursuant to Florida Statute 943.052.
In fact, CJIP may retain the juvenile arrest and prosecution records until the individual turns 26 or 24 years old depending on the seriousness of the charges according to Florida Statute 943.0515.
So for any juvenile that was fingerprinted while in custody, then FDLE will have a record of the arrest. Because criminal histories are “public” then the FDLE may be required to provide that information to any individual requesting the information including prospective employers.
Finding a Lawyer to Seal or Expunge Juveniles Records in Florida
The attorneys at the Sammis Law Firm represent juveniles charged with offenses throughout the Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Hernando County, Polk County, and Manatee County, Florida. Call us today at (813) 250-0500 to discuss your case
Our main office is located in Tampa, FL, in Hillsborough County. We also have a second office in New Port Richey in Pasco County, across from the West Pasco Judicial Center. Call us today at (813) 250-0500 to discuss your case
Call us today at (813) 250-0500 to discuss your case.
This article was last updated on Friday, June 21, 2019.
