One of the quieter worries that comes with a juvenile case is what happens years later — not just what happens in court, when your child is filling out a job application or applying to college. Connecticut law actually has a lot to say about this, and the honest answer depends heavily on how the case was resolved.
If you’re concerned about how a juvenile case might affect your child’s future, contact Flannery Law today for a consultation.
Are Juvenile Records Public in Connecticut?
No, not by default. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-124, records of juvenile matters — including delinquency proceedings — are confidential and reserved for use by the court, with disclosure limited to a specific list of parties: the child’s attorney, parents or guardian until the child reaches adulthood, certain Judicial Branch and Division of Criminal Justice employees performing their duties, and a few other narrow categories. An employer is not among the parties generally authorized to access juvenile delinquency records. The records are confidential, and disclosure to other persons generally requires a court order or another specific statutory authorization.
Learn more about our juvenile defense practice at flannery.law.
What Happens If the Case Is Dismissed, or the Charge Is Nolled?
Many juvenile cases never reach a delinquency finding at all, and Connecticut law treats that outcome favorably. Under § 46b-133a, if a delinquency count is nolled by the prosecutor, or dismissed without prejudice, and 13 months pass without further action, all police and court records pertaining to that count are erased. If the prosecutor requests a continuance and 13 months pass with no further prosecution, the count is treated as nolled as of that date, and the same erasure process follows.
Separately, § 46b-146 provides that if a child is found not delinquent, or a petition is dismissed, all records pertaining to the matter are erased immediately — no waiting period required.
Call Flannery Law at 860-680-8888 if you want to understand exactly how your child’s specific case is likely to resolve, and what that means for the record.
What Happens After a Delinquency Finding? Can the Record Still Be Erased?
Yes, but after a delinquency adjudication, erasure generally requires a petition to the Superior Court and satisfaction of the statutory requirements. Under § 46b-146, a person may petition for erasure after being discharged from probation supervision, DCF custody, or court-ordered placement, once:
- At least two years have passed since discharge (four years for a serious juvenile offense)
- There’s no pending juvenile proceeding or adult criminal proceeding
- The child has not been convicted of a delinquent act that would constitute a felony or misdemeanor if committed by an adult during the applicable waiting period, and has not been convicted as an adult of a felony or misdemeanor during that period.
- The person has reached 18 years of age
Once an erasure order is entered, all references to the proceeding, including arrests, complaints, referrals, petitions, reports, and orders, must be removed from agency, official, and institutional files. The finding of delinquency is deemed never to have occurred, and the child is not deemed to have been arrested with respect to the erased proceeding.” All agencies must be notified, and the records destroyed.Connecticut law provides a separate erasure pathway when a child’s criminal record resulted from being a victim of trafficking or exploitation.
Contact our office today for a free consultation to talk through the erasure timeline for your child’s specific situation.
Once Erased, Does My Child Have to Disclose It to an Employer?
This is really the heart of the employment question, and Connecticut law is direct about it. Once erasure is granted under § 46b-146, your child is legally considered never to have been arrested for the matter — meaning there’s no legal record to disclose in the first place. This mirrors the same principle that applies to erased adult criminal records under § 54-142a(g)(2), which states that a person whose record has been erased “shall be deemed to have never been arrested within the meaning of the general statutes… and may so swear under oath.” In practical terms, a young adult with an erased juvenile record can honestly answer “no” to a job application question asking whether they’ve ever been arrested.
See our track record helping Connecticut families protect their child’s future.
What If the Case Was Transferred to Adult Court?
This is the scenario where the answer changes meaningfully. Under § 46b-127, certain felony cases may be transferred from the juvenile docket to the regular criminal docket. Some transfers are automatic, while others require a court hearing and findings specified by the statute. As per § 46b-127(d), once transferred, the child “shall stand trial and be sentenced… as if such child were eighteen years of age.”
That distinction matters for erasure, because a transferred case that results in a conviction is governed by the adult erasure framework under § 54-142a, not the more protective juvenile framework under § 46b-146. The adult framework has longer waiting periods (7 years for most misdemeanors, 10 years for certain felonies) and, importantly, a list of convictions that are never eligible for erasure — including family violence crimes, certain sexual offenses, and specific violent felony convictions. If the transferred case is dismissed, nolled, or the child is found not guilty of the charge for which the case was transferred, § 46b-127 provides that the child resumes juvenile status for that matter until reaching age 18.
Call our office if your child’s case involves a serious charge that could be eligible for transfer to adult court — this decision has long-term consequences well beyond the immediate case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an employer see my child’s juvenile record?
Generally, no. Juvenile delinquency records are confidential under § 46b-124, and employers are not among the parties expressly authorized to access those records. A court may authorize disclosure in circumstances permitted by the statute.
Does my child have to disclose an erased juvenile record on a job application?
No. Once erasure is granted under § 46b-146, the finding of delinquency is deemed never to have occurred, and the child is not deemed to have been arrested with respect to the erased proceeding under Connecticut law.
How long do we have to wait before petitioning for erasure after a delinquency finding?
Two years after discharge from supervision, custody, or placement — or four years if it was a serious juvenile offense — provided there’s no pending case and no new convictions during that time.
What if the charge was nolled instead of going to a full hearing?
If at least 13 months have elapsed after a nolle or dismissal without prejudice, the police and court records pertaining to that count are subject to the statutory erasure provision in § 46b-133a.
Does transfer to adult court change the erasure rules?
Yes. A case transferred to the regular criminal docket is handled under the adult criminal docket, and the applicable record-erasure rules can therefore differ substantially from the juvenile erasure provisions.
What if the transferred case doesn’t result in a conviction?
If the case is dismissed, nolled, or ends in a not-guilty finding, § 46b-127(d) allows the child to resume juvenile status for that matter, meaning the more protective juvenile provisions would apply.
Courts Handling Juvenile Matters in Connecticut
From our offices in Hartford, Westport, and Farmington, Flannery Law represents families throughout Connecticut’s juvenile justice system, appearing in the Connecticut Superior Court for Juvenile Matters, including:
- New Britain Juvenile Court
- Middletown Juvenile Court
- Hartford Juvenile Court
- New Haven Juvenile Court
- Torrington Juvenile Court
- Waterford Juvenile Court
- Waterbury Juvenile Court
- Willimantic Juvenile Court
When a case is transferred to the regular criminal docket for serious felony charges, it proceeds instead in the applicable adult Superior Court, and different erasure rules apply as a result.
The Bottom Line
Whether a juvenile record could affect your child’s future largely comes down to how the case resolves — dismissal, nolle, delinquency finding with later erasure, or transfer to adult court all lead to different outcomes. In most cases, Connecticut law is protective: records are confidential from employers by default, and erasure, once available and granted, is treated as though the matter never happened at all. Understanding which path applies to your child’s case is the best way to plan ahead.
If you have questions about how a juvenile case could affect your child’s future, contact Flannery Law today. Call 860-680-8888 to schedule a free consultation.
Legal Disclaimer: The information and articles on this website are provided for general informational purposes only and are not legal advice. Viewing this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws and legal developments may change, and some content may not reflect the most recent updates. Case outcomes depend on the specific facts, prior record where applicable, relevant statutes, and court rulings.