What are Maryland Juvenile Court Records?

Maryland juvenile court records are documents and materials that detail an adolescent’s interactions with the state criminal justice system. Some of the information in a juvenile record is subject to public disclosure under the Maryland Public Information Act. Minors who commit crimes contrary to the penal code still incur criminal liabilities in Maryland. However, the aim of the Maryland Courts that handle juvenile cases is to reform the offender while simultaneously protecting society.

What Information is Contained In a Maryland Juvenile Record?

The information in a Maryland Juvenile record depends on the government agency that created it—the contents of law enforcement juvenile records will differ from the contents of a juvenile court record. However, both documents and contents may contain common features such as

• Personal information (name, age, sex, & address)
• Names and addresses of attorneys
• Educational history
• Case summaries
• Summons
• Warrants
• Petitions
• Orders
• Motions
• Hearing transcripts
• Evidence
• Psychiatric assessment report
• Substance-use evaluation report

What Cases are Heard By Maryland Juvenile Courts?

Generally, juvenile courts have exclusive jurisdiction over delinquent offenses and status offenses. Some of these may include:

• Possession of marijuana
• Possession or purchase of a controlled substance
• Disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct
• Malicious destruction of property
• An offense involving inhalants
• An offense involving prostitution
• Theft
• Trespass
• Truancy
• Municipal curfew violations
• Underage drinking

This list is by no means exhaustive; it contains offenses common to minors due to age as well as crimes that adults commit. The prosecution of the above cases begins in a juvenile court. However, law enforcement may indict minors for more serious crimes. Here, the jurisdiction of the juvenile court ceases; the offender is tried as an adult, especially if he/she is in an age bracket. These include violent felonies such as:

• Carjacking
• Abduction & kidnapping
• Second-degree murder (or attempt)
• Manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter (involuntary manslaughter exempted)
• Second-degree rape or sex offense and attempt to commit
• Robbery and attempt with a deadly weapon
• First-degree assault
• Use or possession of a firearm
• Use or possession of a firearm in a drug crime

In the above scenarios, the juvenile is tried in an adult criminal court in a process called a waiver. A judge generally considers several factors to waive the juvenile offender to an adult court or waive him/her down to a juvenile court. Some of these factors include age, degree of involvement in the crime, and public safety (§3–8A–06)..

Who is Eligible to View Juvenile Records in Maryland?

For the most part, Maryland treats juvenile records with the highest degree of confidentiality, to the extent that an unauthorized entity cannot subpoena a juvenile record (§3–827).. The law only allows the following entities to inspect juvenile records:  

• Court personnel
• Parties involved in the case
• Attorneys for the parties
• A Court-appointed Special Advocate for the minor
• Any authorized personnel of the Social Services Administration
• Any authorized staff of local departments investigating childhood neglect or abuse 
• The Department of Juvenile Services
• The staff of the Department providing treatment, services, or care to the juvenile

Note that for cases where the court has waived up a juvenile, statutory anonymity no longer applies. Here, court records and law enforcement records on the juvenile offender and his/her offense will be available in the public domain.   

How to Find Juvenile Records in Maryland

Requesters generally have to show good cause for the court to grant an order granting access to inspect a juvenile record. Applicants typically  contact the court where the case was filed to obtain the juvenile court record. In-person requests are preferable, but courts often allow mail and email requests. Either way, the requester will need to provide details to facilitate a record search and pay the fees associated with finding and reproducing the record. Similarly, for law enforcement juvenile records, the same applies—except that the individual may need to submit a request directed to the Maryland Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services under the Public Information Act.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites.  Operating independently of any federal, state or local agency, such websites may simplify the search process as they are not limited by geographic location. In addition, third-party sites typically have search engines that can be used for filtering specific or multiple record(s). To use third-party or government websites, interested parties may need to provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that the person resides in or was accused in

However, third-party sites are independent of government sources and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Therefore, the record results, availability, or accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Can You Look Up Maryland Juvenile Records Online?

No, an entity must receive special authorization to access electronic juvenile records in Maryland. However, for cases where the court has waived the juvenile’s right to confidentiality, the records are available online through Maryland CaseSearch. Also, certain third-party service providers typically allow access to publicly available juvenile records online.

Do Maryland Juvenile Records Show Up On Background Checks?

Yes, juvenile records in Maryland show up on criminal history information during background checks unless such juvenile records have been sealed or expunged by court order. Interested parties may read up on the process for expunging juvenile records in Maryland.

How Long Are Juvenile Records Kept In Maryland?

Maryland is not an automatic expungement state. Thus, juvenile records remain in the public domain for life unless the juvenile or his/her legal representative submits a request for expungement. Generally, the petition for expungement begins in the court where the case was adjudicated. Expungement in Maryland removes juvenile records from court files, the files of law enforcement agencies, and the files of any entity that has provided services to the juvenile under a court order. In deciding whether to grant the petition, the presiding judge mainly  considers whether the individual meets specific criteria.