Alabama: Juvenile Court Records and Law Enforcement Records (AL-AR-2)

Records relating to a juvenile delinquency case can be destroyed provided that the petitioner meets certain requirements. Code of Ala. § 12-15-137.

Record Detail(s)

All charges

Previous Conviction Disqualifying

Potentially, see statute

Mandatory / Discretionary

Discretionary

Hearing

No statutory language

Clearance Process

Petition-based

Remedy

Delete

Ineligible Category or Citation

The petitioner cannot have been convicted, adjudicated delinquent, or adjudicated a youthful offender of any felony or any misdemeanor involving sexual offenses, drugs, weapons, or violence or threats of violence, prior to the filing of the motion and no proceeding can be pending seeking the conviction or adjudication. Code of Ala. § 12-15-136(a)(2).

Procedure General

A motion must be filed in the juvenile court. For the specific procedure, see Code of Ala. § 12-15-137.

Fees

There is no statutory language regarding fees.

Effect

If a request to destroy a record is granted, all references including references to the arrest, complaints, referrals, petitions, reports, and orders shall be removed from the files of all departments, agencies, officials, and institutions and destroyed. Code of Ala. § 12-15-137(b).

Forms

An expungement form is available here.

Waiting Periods

The petition can be filed five years after the juvenile reaches the age of majority. Code of Ala. § 12-15-137.

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