Juveniles: court records.

Existing law authorizes, except as specified, a person who is the subject of a juvenile court record, or the county probation officer, to petition the court to seal the records relating to the person's case, including records in the custody of the juvenile court and the probation officer and any other agencies, including law enforcement agencies and public officials as the petitioner alleges to have custody of the records. Existing law authorizes the petition to be filed 5 years or more after the jurisdiction of the juvenile court has terminated or, if no petition was filed, 5 years or more after the person was cited to appear before a probation officer or was taken before a probation officer or law enforcement officer, or, in any case, at any time after the person reaches 18 years of age. This bill would instead require the court to seal all records relating to a juvenile dependency case that has been dismissed or for which jurisdiction has terminated at the time the dismissal or termination is final, including those records held by all child welfare agencies, the court, law enforcement agencies, the minor's or nonminor's schools, and any agency with which the minor was placed, unless the court finds compelling evidence that the records should not be sealed. The bill would require the proceedings of the case to be deemed never to have occurred. The bill would authorize the sealed records to be available for inspection in certain instances, including if the minor is the subject of a subsequent dependency petition. The bill would make additional conforming changes. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with the Judicial Council and the County Welfare Directors Association of California, to develop and issue guidance to county child welfare departments regarding the process for identifying and inspecting records that have previously been sealed.