Some lawmakers in Florida want measures to expunge teens juvenile records so they can get a second chance.
Senator Aaron Bean (R) was joined by children advocates on Thursday in Jacksonville where he pledged his support to such measures. Senator Darren Soto (D) also is sponsoring SB 1316 that would allow records of minor who commit nonviolent misdemeanors to get their records expunged.SB 1316 states:
(1) The Criminal Justice Information Program shall retain the criminal histroy record of a minor until the minor is at least 21 years of age and is no longer in the custody of the Department of Justice at which time the record shall be expunged unless it meets the criteria of paragraph (2) (a) or paragraph (2) (b).
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The bill goes on to state a person over the age of 18 is charged and convicted of a felony then their juvenile records will be merged with their adult criminal history report and it will be retained.
Whereas Arthenia Joyner (D) and Mia Jones (D) are sponsoring bills (SB 334, HB 205) that would shorten the length the offenses would stay on the juvenile’s records even if it is a serious offense.
HB 205 states:The Criminal Justice Information Program shall retain the criminal history record of a minor who is classified as a serious or habitual juvenile offender or committed to a juvenile correctional facility or juvenile prison under chapter 985 until the minor’s 18th birthday.
Currently in the state of Florida most juvenile records are not expunged until the offender is 24. It is said a juvenile record can potentially keep them from getting certain jobs, getting into college, getting an apartment or joining the military.
Some people feel what adults do when they are younger is not a fair representation of who they are when they get older and they should be able to get those records sealed.
