Crime & Traffic

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Juvenile record basics

Juvenile arrest and court records are confidential. This means they can only be seen by certain government agencies and employers. This is different from adult records which anyone can view. When a juvenile expungement is granted, however, these government agencies and employers can no longer see these records.

Whenever a person is arrested in Illinois, the arresting agency creates an arrest record. In some cases, they may report the arrest to the State Police. So there may be two records for an arrest. 

Juvenile arrest records 

Juvenile arrest records include:

  • All arrests before you turn 17 years old, 
  • Arrests for misdemeanors before you turned 18 years old from 2010-2013, and
  • Starting in 2014, all arrests before you turn 18 years old.

Court records

If you are charged with a crime in juvenile court, there will be juvenile court records. These include cases in juvenile court only. They do not include cases tried in adult criminal court or traffic court, even if you were under 17 years old. 

You can get copies of arrest information at the Juvenile Expungement Help Desk 1100 S. Hamilton Avenue, 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60612. You need to sign a Release of Information. For suburban Cook County, you must be fingerprinted and the results will be available in about 7 days. If you were arrested by the Chicago Police Department, you can get a juvenile RAP sheet at CPD Headquarters 3510 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60653.
Last full review by a subject matter expert
April 21, 2021
Last revised by staff
May 05, 2021

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