New Website Helps Illinois Youth and Adults Erase Their Juvenile Records

Above: A screenshot from Expunge.io

The Chicago-based Mikva Juvenile Justice Council, in partnership with Smart Chicago, recently unveiled a new, mobile-friendly website designed to help Illinois youth and adults with a history of juvenile justice system involvement erase (or “expunge”) their juvenile record.

In Expunge.io, users are guided through a series of questions to determine their eligibility for expungement. They are then connected with resources including a helpline and, if they’re eligible, an online form that they can fill out and send directly to the Legal Assistance Foundation to obtain legal free aid.   

Getting rid of a juvenile record is no mean feat, in part because expungement policies are not well known. Indeed, it's a common misconception that juvenile records are wiped clean automatically at age 18. In reality, many kids are burdened by their records well into adulthood and experience the same barriers to obtaining housing, jobs, and educational opportunities as those who commit crimes as adults.

In 2009, in response to our legal advocacy, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated the delinquency adjudications (or “findings of guilt,” in adult court) and expunged the juvenile records of the more than 2,500 youth who appeared before ex-juvenile court judge Mark Ciavarella from 2003 to 2008, during the Luzerne County “kids-for-cash” scandal. Without our intervention, there’s no telling how many opportunities these youth might have missed as a result of their juvenile record. (Read more about this issue later this week in our Lessons from “Kids for Cash” blog series.)

Tools like Expunge.io are invaluable, because they empower youth to take charge of the expungement process and to more easily erase their record so that it doesn’t follow them into adulthood. We encourage you to check out the site and spread the word!