Juvenile Record

[jgirard]

I have been under the impression for the last 15 years or so that juvenile records are sealed,and it is like nothing ever happened,I remember doing some paper work and paying a fee to have this done. Are they, or are they not sealed? If they are sealed how would a BI ever know about it unless you told them. I would hate for something that happened so long ago prevent me from trying to get a job with CHP. How understanding is CHP regarding something stupid you did as a teenager, I dont want to waste CHP's time or mine if I will only be DQ'ed during the BI. Thanks.

[SR-25]

I have been under the impression for the last 15 years or so that juvenile records are sealed,and it is like nothing ever happened,I remember doing some paper work and paying a fee to have this done. Are they, or are they not sealed? If they are sealed how would a BI ever know about it unless you told them. I would hate for something that happened so long ago prevent me from trying to get a job with CHP. How understanding is CHP regarding something stupid you did as a teenager, I dont want to waste CHP's time or mine if I will only be DQ'ed during the BI. Thanks.

Tell your BI. Do you honestly think Law Enforcement cant get at your Juvi records? :rolleyes: It also depends on what you did as a juvi. What was the charge and what kind of qualifications do you bring to the table now?

[dbcomm]

Just to reiterate what I've learned during my research/questioning, I think it depends more on what/who you are now, not when you were a kid. Unless you committed some horrible crime when you were 17, and you turned 18 yesterday ;)

Hope that helps some.

[rich]

DISCLOSE EVERYTHING. It is not worth getting DQ'd because if you make it to backrounds your B.I. will find out

[dbcomm]

DISCLOSE EVERYTHING. It is not worth getting DQ'd because if you make it to backrounds your B.I. will find out
Do BI's work backgrounds exclusively? I would imagine it would take up a lot of time if they had much else on their plate.

[Mac]

Do BI's work backgrounds exclusively?...
Yep.

[jgirard]

If I ever make it that far I dont have any intention of not being truthful about everything, what I'm trying to figure out is where this "sealed" crap comes from? Do BI's from other types of jobs have the ability to uncover "sealed" records or is that just a benefit of law enforcement BI's.

[dw]

If I ever make it that far I dont have any intention of not being truthful about everything, what I'm trying to figure out is where this "sealed" crap comes from? Do BI's from other types of jobs have the ability to uncover "sealed" records or is that just a benefit of law enforcement BI's.

"Sealed," "expunged," and similar terms are all relative. As I have discussed before, there are nearly a dozen legal sections under which records may be modified after the fact. Very similar sounding sections (1203.4a, 1203.45) can have very different legal implications. Remember that by its definition, a "sealed" record still exists. There are very few cases where a criminal record is placed in the shredder.

What is critical in your application process is determining what section your offense was sealed under. (I'm just going to use the generic term sealed to mean any of the possible actions) Some records do not have to be disclosed to a law enforcement agency during the application process. Most are required to be disclosed. The CHP 446F, Cadet Arrest and Citation Questionnaire and the Statement to Candidate in Peace Officer Applications (or whatever it is called -- should be provided to you) will guide you though any required disclosure.

The Department understands people make mistakes -- especially as juveniles -- and in my opinion is quite reasonable and forgiving.