Illinois treatment of juvenile justice records isn’t keeping up with what is needed. That’s the assessment of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.
A report released Thursday finds costly fees and complicated rules are barriers for young offenders from having their records expunged, haunting them for years. Retired Judge George Timberlake says that weak confidentiality laws allow schools, employers and many others opportunity to see the records and in effect punish the person twice.
Fees to expunge records also stand in the way of individuals getting their histories cleaned up. The commission says that fees should be eliminated.