Meeting Public Comments

Nickole Miller [Director of the Middleton Center for Children's Rights at Drake University Law School (identification purposes only)]

I support passage of this bill. Currently, Iowa Code section 232.150 allows the court to seal juvenile records in very limited circumstances. Additionally, the burden is often on young people to get their juvenile records sealed. This proposal aims to address this burden shifting and follow national trends and best practices regarding juvenile records. Juvenile records have significant collateral consequences for young people. For example, juvenile records pose barriers to employment, higher education, military enlistment, and housing. Research has shown that record sealing improves employment outcomes and longterm reintegration for youth. Consequently, there is a growing national trend to make it easier for young people to seal their juvenile records. Indeed, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures, twentyfour states have laws that automatically seal or expunge juvenile records in certain circumstances. This proposal guarantees a young persons juvenile records are sealed if their delinquency petitions have been dismissed by the court. It ensures that youth who have successfully completed consent decrees under Iowa Code section 232.46 receive similar protections as their adult counterparts with deferred judgements. See Iowa Code 907.9(4)(b)(requires the automatic and immediate expungement of adult criminal records when an individual has successfully completed a deferred judgment.) It also enables more young people to access records sealing in situations where it serves both their best interests and the best interests of the public. In other words, it strikes the right balance between public safety and facilitating the rehabilitative goals of juvenile court. Nickole Miller, Director of the Middleton Center for Children's Rights at Drake University Law School**Identification purposes only