Is your juvenile record eligible for expungement in Louisiana?

Many Louisiana residents make mistakes when they are young. However, in some cases, a mistake you make as a juvenile may continue to haunt you for years or even your entire life. Depending on circumstances, having a juvenile record may restrict you from holding certain jobs or finding housing in certain places, among other potential limitations. However, if you are eligible, you may be able to take steps to reduce any damage your juvenile record causes you.

Per NOLA.gov, many juvenile records may be eligible for expungement. If you receive an expungement, it means that no record of the offense is going to be viewable to the public. When you have a particular charge expunged from your record, you do not need to reference the offense at all when applying for jobs.

Determining expungement eligibility

If you are at least 17 and received a juvenile charge and it never underwent adjudication, you have the right to ask for expungement at any time. You may be able to have some offenses undergo expungement at any time even if there was adjudication, depending on the nature of the offense.

Determining expungement eligibility after a felony

Things work a bit differently if you are looking to expunge a felony offense. Certain felony offenses, including murder, manslaughter, kidnapping and armed robbery, to name a few, are not eligible for expungement. Five years also have to have elapsed since you satisfied your judgment. Also, you must not have received any felony convictions as an adult or any misdemeanor convictions involving weapons as an adult within that span, among other eligibility requirements.

While this should give you a sense of whether you might be able to seek a juvenile expungement in Louisiana, other factors may also determine eligibility.