Expungement of Juvenile Records This brochure is about expunging juvenile records about you from Maryland state court records only. Who uses expungement? Defendants in state criminal cases or individuals with a state juvenile record. This brochure provides information on expunging juvenile records only. A juvenile record is a court record and police record concerning a child alleged or adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision, or who has received a citation for a violation. If you want to expunge adult criminal records, see the brochure Expungement of Criminal Records as that process is different. How do I file for expungement? File a “Petition for Expungement of Records” with the court that heard your case, in person or by mail. The court will then send a copy of your petition to the victims in your case, certain family members of the victim and the state’s attorney. The court may or may not schedule a hearing. If no one files an objection, the court may grant your request without a hearing. If you did not meet the requirements of the law, the court may deny your petition without a hearing. If your petition for expungement is denied, you can appeal the court’s decision. I have a juvenile record, can I file for expungement? Yes if: 1. You are 18 or older and at least 2 years have passed since the last official action in your juvenile record; 2. You have not been adjudicated delinquent more than once; 3. You have not been convicted of any offense since your juvenile case; 4. You do not have a pending delinquency petition or criminal charge; 5. You have not been adjudicated delinquent for an offense that, if committed by an adult, would be a felony, a crime of violence or a fourth degree sexual offense; 6. You were not required to register as a sex offender; 7. The offense you were adjudicated delinquent for did not involve the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence; 8. You have fully paid any monetary restitution ordered by the court in your delinquency case; and 9. You meet one of the following: a. The State’s Attorney entered a nolle prosequi; b. The petition is dismissed; c. The court, in an adjudicatory hearing, did not find the allegations in the petition to be true; d. The adjudicatory hearing was not held within 2 years after the petition was filed; or e. The court, in a disposition hearing, either found that you required guidance, treatment or rehabilitation, or did not find that you required guidance, treatment or rehabilitation. The court will also consider: 1. Your best interests; 2. Your stability in the community; and 3. The safety of the public. For more information See MD. CODE ANN., COURTS AND JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS §3–8A–27.1. Court forms are available on the Maryland Judiciary’s website at www.mdcourts.gov/courtforms. Read Maryland’s laws at www.mdcourts.gov/lawlib/researchtools/sourcesmdlaw.html. Visit the Maryland Judiciary, Department of Family Administration website at http://mdcourts.gov/family/index.html. Visit the People’s Law Library of Maryland, an online legal resource, at www.peoples-law.org. Visit any public law library in person. Call 410.260.1430 or find out more online at www.mdcourts.gov/lawlib. Visit or call the Clerk’s Office of the court that heard your case. This brochure was created by the Maryland Access to Justice Commission with the help of the Maryland Judiciary’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs. October 2014. www.mdcourts.gov/mdatjc.