Sealing Juvenile Records in Texas

In Texas, juvenile records are not automatically sealed when a youth turns 18 and not all juvenile records are eligible for sealing. This resource will help CASA volunteers better understand how and when juvenile records are sealed in Texas so that they can best advocate for the youth on their cases. For example, under certain circumstances, the youth may need to file an Application for Sealing of Files and Records in the juvenile court in the same county where the original proceeding took place. Encourage youth to speak with their criminal defense attorney or attorney ad litem about their records or put the youth in touch with the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project to help guide them through this process.