Seal, vacate, or destroy juvenile court records

Juvenile court records include crimes you were accused of committing, even if you never had a trial, as well as offenses you were found guilty of. These are public records. So unless they’re sealed or destroyed, anyone can see them. They may come up in a background check when you apply for a job or housing. 

Sealing the record makes it private so that only people in the court and some law enforcement can see it. It shouldn’t show up on a background check after it has been sealed. 

Even though a record has been sealed, it does still exist. Records may be unsealed if you are convicted of a new juvenile offense, adult crime, or if you are charged with a felony.

When can records be destroyed

Only diversion records can be destroyed. The juvenile court should automatically destroy records of successfully completed diversion agreements after you reach age 18.

If your juvenile criminal history shows records that should’ve been destroyed but weren’t, you can use WA Forms Online to fill out forms to ask the juvenile court to destroy your records now. You don’t need to seal records that should be destroyed. 

When can records be sealed?

For most juvenile offenses, your record can be sealed if all of these are true:

• You don’t have any criminal charges pending against you now.
• You don’t currently have to register as a sex offender.
• You don’t owe any restitution to a named victim for the case you want to seal. (A named victim is a person or business. It doesn't include government agencies or insurance companies.)
• It's been more than 2 years since the date of your last sentencing (disposition), or the date you were last released from detention, prison, or jail — whichever is later. If the offense is a Class A Felony, it must be more than 5 years.

Different rules apply if your offense was Rape 1, Rape 2, or Indecent liberties with actual force. Try to talk to a lawyer for advice.

My records can be sealed. Should I also get them vacated?

We recommend asking the court to seal and vacate for a full restoration of your rights. This can matter for FBI background checks and security clearances. Just sealing your records may not be enough.

To vacate your record, the judge may want information from someone other than you about how you're doing. It's not required, but you may want to get one or two letters in support to bring to your hearing. Ask people who know you well to write the letters. You can use the sample letter included with these forms. The letters can be very short, simply explaining how long they've known you and that you've stayed out of trouble.