Rule 7 Court Records

Juvenile court records are kept private to protect young people. These records are not open to the public the way adult court records are. Only certain people can see them, such as the child, their parents or guardians, their lawyer, and people who work for the court or government agencies involved in the case.

If someone else wants to see the records, they usually have to ask the judge for permission. The judge decides whether to allow access based on what is best for the child and the situation. Courts take this privacy seriously because juvenile cases involve minors.