Young adults are prone to making impulsive decisions and foolish oversights. They might break the law because they think they won’t get caught or because they don’t consider the long-term risks before acting.
Parents sometimes let young adults facing juvenile charges suffer the consequences of their actions in order to teach them a lesson, or a juvenile may be found to be in the wrong by the court despite a strong defense strategy. They might then have a criminal record. Is it necessary to expunge the record of a juvenile offense to remove it in Minnesota?
Record sealing is not an automatic process
Certain details about juvenile offenses are not made available to the public. However, many different agencies may have information related to a juvenile offense. The record of someone’s arrest and conviction can turn up in any background check performed by colleges or employers.
Therefore, formal expungement is often necessary to prevent the record of a juvenile infraction from showing up during a background check. Formal expungement does not have a waiting period for juvenile offenders. They can potentially qualify for expungement if the offense occurred before they turned 18.
Typically, people need to wait at least three years after a conviction without another criminal offense to qualify for expungement. Certain types of offenses are typically ineligible for expungement. These offenses include certain drug offenses, violence crimes and sex offenses. In most cases, only misdemeanor offenses are eligible for expungement.
The best way to prevent the record of a youthful offense from limiting someone’s future is to prevent a criminal conviction. Helping a young adult respond properly to an arrest may be the best option for those concerned about how a charge could affect their future.