juvenile record

A written account of any criminal wrongdoings committed by a person under the age of 18. These records are private and not available to the general public. Moreover, these records can be sealed at the request of the petitioner, who may be either the subject of the records or someone speaking on his or her behalf. Before 1889, children were tried as adults in court and subject to the same punishments given to adults. With the advent of the Juvenile County System, juveniles are now tried in a special court and sent to Juvenile Detention, not adult prison.