Push to make juvenile records open
William "Todd" Adams was arrested on June 14 after being accused of molesting four young girls at a martial-arts center. Adams was hired by the state after an FBI background check, which came clean. The girls� parents believe that Adams has sealed juvenile records held information that would have prevented him from being hired. They are petitioning lawmakers to open juvenile records but experts caution that a judge must decide to release information on a case by case basis. "The idea is that delinquent behavior when a child is young should not be held against them for the rest of their lives," said Mark Soler of the Youth Law Center, a nonprofit law office that works to protect abused and at risk children. The campaign in Maryland is part of a growing national trend to open up juvenile records. Nine states now open juvenile records to the public without any restrictions, according to the National Center for Juvenile Justice. The group said another 29 states do so under certain conditions, for example, if the offender was older than 14, or if the crime was serious, such as murder or rape.Maryland parents push to open juvenile records CNN, July 29, 2002 National Center for Juvenile Justice FAQ on Confidentiality Issues Youth Law Center
