If you are ever detained by the authorities, arrested, criminally charged, or convicted of a criminal charge, Washington State courts keep records of this. If any of these happened while you were under the age of 18, it becomes a part of your juvenile criminal record. Juvenile records are treated differently from adult criminal records, which can also be sealed.

Having a record can become a problem whenever you need to pass a background check, which can include any of the following instances:

• Renting an apartment
• Submitting a job application
• Applying for credit or a loan
• Getting your passport

To avoid these problems, you can “seal” juvenile records. In some cases, juvenile records are sealed automatically, but in many other cases, you must file a petition to the court.

Sealing a criminal record is the act of making it off-limits for most members of the public to access. It doesn’t delete the case court record entirely, but it makes the record itself harder for people to access, should prevent from appearing in background checks run by anyone but law enforcement, and legally allows you to state that the case never occurred.

• You can both seal and expunge juvenile records in Washington State. At Findley & Rogers, we offer both services. Learn more about expungement.

When you seal juvenile records, you enjoy several important benefits:

• You protect your privacy from the public and can move on with your life.
• You protect yourself and your family from the negative impact of having a record.
• You can pass background checks on applications for a job, apartment, loan, or password.

If you also vacate or expunge your juvenile record, Washington State provides an additional benefit:

• You may legally answer “no” when asked if you have been convicted of a crime.

You can seal juvenile records in nearly all cases. The only exceptions are

• Washington allows any sort of juvenile conviction to be sealed, however, if your crime was a sex offense, you must first have your registration requirement lifted before the case can be sealed. If you’re not sure whether your crime is eligible to be sealed, ask us during your free consultation.

• If your criminal record is federal, then you must use the federal system. It is extremely difficult to seal federal records. Thankfully, this is rare: most convictions are in state court.

With help from the legal team at Findley & Rogers to guide you through the paperwork and red tape, it’s pretty easy to seal juvenile records in Washington State! You just need to petition the court.

Here are the requirements:

• There is a 2-year waiting period (5 years for Class A felonies), during which time you must not be convicted of any new offense. The good news is that this waiting period begins as soon as you are released from custody—or from the date of your conviction, if you were not put into custody. So it’s probably already over!

• You must have paid all of your court-ordered fines and restitution.

If applicable, you must also no longer be required to register as a sex offender, or you must have been relieved of your requirement to register as a sex offender.