Juvenile Record Sealing in Pennsylvania » Requirements
To get the records expunged, the offender files a Petition for Expungement with the Juvenile Court in the county in which the offense was committed. A hearing is then scheduled before a judge to determine it the request for expungement should be granted. The court will order the records expunged if one of these requirements is met:
- Six (6) months have passed since the successful completion of a consent decree (a pretrial program where the case will be dropped if the offender successfully completes terms and conditions as set by a judge or juvenile master).
- Five (5) years have elapsed since the offender was released from the jurisdiction of Juvenile Court and no other charges have been filed against him.
- The initial charges were either not found to be true, or dismissed at trial.
In addition, the petition may be granted under circumstances where less than five years have elapsed. The court can order records to be expunged when the offender is over 18 and the district attorney consents to the expungement. Before ordering the expungement, the judge must weigh factors such as the gravity of the offense, the age of the offender, any further criminal history, adult and juvenile, the adverse consequences to the juvenile if expungement is not granted and the public’s interest in having the records maintained.
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