Steps to File for Juvenile Expungement in Colorado According to the state laws of Colorado, numerous juvenile records actually qualify for expungement. A record is said to be expunged when it is not destroyed physically, but the evidence of its existence is removed completely. A person is entitled to claim that he or she was never convicted of the crime mentioned in such records once they have been expunged. Expungement of criminal records is important in today’s world as this offer a juvenile delinquent to start his or her life anew, and find employment, apply for financial aid or military service or take the advantage of other benefits. Once the records have been expunged, they will not be accessible any more by civilians. However, they can still be accessed by law enforcement officials in the future should they choose to do so for some special reason. If you want to apply for juvenile expungement of criminal records, then you need the assistance of professional legal experts who can help you with your case. For example, when applying for juvenile expungement in Colorado, you need to get in touch with a lawyer who is well versed with the various laws associated with this process in the state of Colorado. Not only can a professional Colorado attorney explain you the various benefits of sealing of records, but he or she can guide you through every step of the way in making sure that all of your records are expunged in the right manner and that you may take the full advantage of it. Your juvenile records are considered eligible for Expungement under the following circumstances:
Since your parole or court supervision, you’ve not been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, or have been adjudicated for yet another juvenile offense; No criminal/delinquency proceedings are pending against you; You've been already rehabilitated; Expungement of your records is in the best interests of your own as well as your community.
On the other hand, your juvenile records are not eligible for Expungement if
You have been a violated or aggravated juvenile offender; The crime committed by you is classified as a grownup or adult offense; As a juvenile, you were charged by direct filing of an indictment or information in district court, unless a sentence was passed on you as a juvenile with regards to the same matter; Your crime involved an unlawful offense of a sexual nature.
When can you file for juvenile record expungement? If you were not found guilty of your crime in the juvenile court, then you may immediately present a petition for the expungement of all of your juvenile records. However, if that is not the case, then you need to wait:
A year from the day and date of last law enforcement contact not resulting in further legal action against you; A year from the completion of a juvenile diversion or informal adjustment program; 4 years from the ending of your case's court supervision, parole supervision or commitment to human services department; 10 years from the ending of your parole or court supervision, whichever is later, in case you were convicted of being a mandatory or repeat juvenile offender and no criminal violations have been committed by you since then
How to file for your juvenile record expungement To get your juvenile criminal records expunged, you need to file a petition for the same in a juvenile or a district court. No fee is involved with filing a petition. You can only file for expungement once in any 12month period. Apart from the petition itself, other paper works associated with an expungement application include “Order Denying Petition to Seal Arrest and Criminal Records”, “Order to Seal Arrest and Criminal Records” and “Order and Notice of Hearing”.