The bill amends the Arkansas Juvenile Code of 1989 regarding the expungement of juvenile delinquency records. It specifies that records of delinquency adjudications for felonies involving violence will be retained for ten years after the last adjudication or guilty plea, after which they may be expunged. Additionally, the bill introduces a new provision stating that records of all other delinquency adjudications will be automatically expunged upon the individual's twenty-first birthday.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that the court has the discretion to expunge other juvenile records at any time, and it modifies the definition of "expunge" to mean "seal" as defined in a separate statute. The previous requirement for the court to expunge all records upon the juvenile's twenty-first birthday in certain cases has been removed. Overall, the bill aims to streamline the process of expunging juvenile records while maintaining specific retention periods for serious offenses.

Statutes affected:
Old version SB487 V2 - 3-20-2025 02:12 PM: 9-27-309(b)
Old version SB487 Original - 3-17-2025 04:33 PM: 9-27-309(b)
SB 487: 9-27-309(b)
Act 754: 9-27-309(b)