The bill amends the law regarding the destruction or expungement of juvenile delinquency records in Arkansas. Specifically, it modifies Arkansas Code 9-27-309(b) to establish 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 expunged automatically upon the individual's twenty-first birthday.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that the court retains the discretion to expunge other juvenile records at any time, while removing the previous requirement to expunge all records upon the individual's twenty-first birthday in certain cases. The definition of "expunge" is also updated to mean "seal" as defined in another section of the law, rather than "destroy." These changes aim to streamline the process of handling juvenile records and provide clearer guidelines for expungement.

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