Do juvenile records get sealed in Maryland?

Question

I had a second degree assault charge back when I was 16, and am 22 now. I have not a l**k of trouble since then and have gotten accepted for my first post college job. They want to preform a background check, and I am afraid a silly school fight in junior year of high school is going to come back to haunt me.

So does anyone have any knowledge about juvenile records in MD?

Answer 1

Court records for juvenile cases are sealed.   They can only be opened by petitioning the court to see the records.  You should only need to worry if it was categorized as a felony instead of a misdemeanor.  Most employers are not concerned about misdemeanors.

If you are truly concerned about it, contact the judge's bailiff (or juvenile courts office in the county where you were tried).  Ask about getting your record expunged; it might take some time, effort, and money to get your record expunged, but it might be worth it for the career you want.

Arrest records at the police station should also be sealed in this case, but I am not familiar enough with MD law and police department procedures.