41-5-216. Disposition of youth court, law enforcement, and department records. (1) Formal youth court records, law enforcement records, and department records that are not exempt from sealing under subsections (4) and (6) and that pertain to a youth covered by this chapter must be physically sealed on the youth's 18th birthday. In those cases in which jurisdiction of the court or any agency is extended beyond the youth's 18th birthday, the records must be physically sealed upon termination of the extended jurisdiction.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (6), when the records pertaining to a youth pursuant to this section are sealed, an agency, other than the department, that has in its possession copies of the sealed records shall destroy the copies of the records. Anyone violating the provisions of this subsection is subject to contempt of court.
(3) Except as provided in subsection (6), this section does not prohibit the destruction of records with the consent of the youth court judge or county attorney after 10 years from the date of sealing.
(4) The requirements for sealed records in this section do not apply to medical records, fingerprints, DNA records, photographs, youth traffic records, records in any case in which the youth did not fulfill all requirements of the court's judgment or disposition, records referred to in 42-3-203, reports referred to in 45-5-624(7), or the information referred to in 46-23-508, in any instance in which the youth was required to register as a sexual offender pursuant to Title 46, chapter 23, part 5.
(5) After formal youth court records, law enforcement records, and department records are sealed, they are not open to inspection except, upon order of the youth court, for good cause, including when a youth commits a new offense, to:
(a) those persons and agencies listed in 41-5-215(2); and
(b) adult probation professional staff preparing a presentence report on a youth who has reached the age of majority.
(6) (a) When formal youth court records, law enforcement records, and department records are sealed under subsection (1), the electronic records of the management information system maintained by the department of public health and human services and by the department relating to the youth whose records are being sealed must be preserved for the express purpose of research and program evaluation as provided in subsection (6)(b).
(b) The department of public health and human services and the department shall disassociate the offense and disposition information from the name of the youth in the respective management information system. The offense and disposition information must be maintained separately and may be used only:
(i) for research and program evaluation authorized by the department of public health and human services or by the department and subject to any applicable laws; and
(ii) as provided in Title 5, chapter 13.
(7) (a) Informal youth court records for a youth for whom formal proceedings have been filed must be physically sealed on the youth's 18th birthday or, in those cases in which jurisdiction of the court or any agency is extended beyond the youth's 18th birthday, upon termination of the extended jurisdiction and may be inspected only pursuant to subsection (5).
(b) The informal youth court records may be maintained and inspected only by youth court personnel upon a new offense prior to the youth's 18th birthday.
(c) Except as provided in subsection (7)(a), when a youth becomes 18 years of age or when extended supervision ends and the youth was involved only in informal proceedings, informal youth court records that are in hard-copy form must be destroyed and any electronic records in the youth court management information system must disassociate the offense and disposition information from the name of the youth and may be used only for the following purposes:
(i) for research and program evaluation authorized by the office of the court administrator and subject to any applicable laws; and
(ii) as provided in Title 5, chapter 13.
(8) Nothing in this section prohibits the intra-agency use or information sharing of formal or informal youth court records within the juvenile probation management information system. Electronic records of the youth court may not be shared except as provided in 41-5-1524. If a person authorized under 41-5-215 is in need of a copy of a record that is in electronic form, the juvenile probation officer shall make only a physical copy of the record that is authorized and the person receiving the record shall destroy the record after it has fulfilled its purpose or as provided in subsection (2) of this section.
(9) This section does not prohibit the intra-agency use or information sharing of formal or informal youth court records within the department's youth management information system. Electronic records of the department's youth management information system may not be shared except as provided in subsection (5). If a person authorized under 41-5-215 is in need of a copy of a record that is in electronic form, the department shall make only a physical copy of the record that is authorized and the person receiving the record shall destroy the record after it has fulfilled its purpose or as provided in subsection (2) of this section.
(10) This section does not prohibit the sharing of formal or informal youth court records with a short-term detention center, a youth care facility, a youth assessment center, or a youth detention facility upon placement of a youth within the facility.
History: En. 10-1232 by Sec. 32, Ch. 329, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 59, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 10-1232; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 507, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 469, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 515, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 251, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 466, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 481, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 528, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 168, Ch. 480, L. 1997; Sec. , MCA 1995; redes. by Sec. 47, Ch. 286, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 106, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 83, Ch. 114, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 423, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 139, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 483, L. 2007.
