Expungement of Juvenile Criminal Records in Illinois

Juvenile expungement only applies to cases brought under the Juvenile Court Act. You must have been age 16 or younger at the time of the offense and, if prosecuted, the prosecution must have been in Juvenile Court.

Your Juvenile Record may be considered for expungement if you fall into 1 of 2 categories:

Category # 1: If you are at least 17 years old and you can answer “Yes” to any one of the following questions:

1. Were you arrested and not charged?
2. Were you charged but found not delinquent (not guilty)?
3. Were you placed under supervision and, if so, did you follow all the rules of your supervision so that it was successfully terminated?
4. Were you adjudicated delinquent (found guilty) for an offense that if committed by an adult would be a Class B misdemeanor, Class C misdemeanor or a petty or business offense?

Category # 2: If your case does not fall into Category #1 above, you may still have your juvenile record expunged, if you can answer “Yes” to all of the following questions:

1. Have you had no convictions for any crime since your 17th birthday?
2. Are you at least 21 years old?
3. Has it been at least 5 years since your last juvenile court proceeding was terminated?
4. Has it been at least 5 years since your commitment to the Department of Corrections, Juvenile Division ended?

If you answered “Yes” to ALL of these questions you can have your record expunged. Use the “Category 2” Petition.

Exceptions: Even if you answered yes to all of the Category #2 questions, you cannot have your juvenile record expunged if your offense was for first-degree murder or sex offenses which would be felonies if committed by an adult. 

For more information on expunging Illinois criminal records, click on the following articles:

Application Process to Expunge Juvenile Criminal Records in Illinois

Application Process for Expunging Adult Criminal Records in Illinois

Sealing of Criminal Records in Illinois

Application Process for Sealing Criminal Records in Illinois

Clearing of Criminal Records or Expungement in Illinois

Using an Attorney to Clear or Expunge Illinois Criminal Record

Certificates of Relief from Disabilities and Good Conduct in Illinois

Eligibility for Expungement of Adult Criminal Records in Illinois