1999 State of Wyoming 99LSO-0079


                              HOUSE BILL NO. HB0064
                                        
                                        
Juvenile delinquency-recordkeeping.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Nagel, Deegan and Tipton


                                     A BILL
                                        
                                       for

 1  AN ACT relating to juvenile justice; creating a juvenile

 2  justice information system database to be maintained by the

 3  Wyoming division of criminal investigation; providing for

 4  the collection of information concerning juveniles

 5  adjudicated to be delinquent; specifying restrictions on

 6  dissemination of information; granting rulemaking authority;

 7  conforming related provisions; and providing for an

 8  effective date.

 9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

11

12       Section 1.  W.S. 7-19-501 through 7-19-506 are created

13  to read:

14     

15                                    ARTICLE 5

16                       JUVENILE JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM

17

18  7-19-501.  Definitions.



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 1

 2       (a)  As used in this act:

 3

 4            (i)  "Adjudicated" or "adjudication" means as

 5  defined by W.S. 14-6-201(a)(i);

 6

 7            (ii)  "Adult" means an individual who has attained

 8  the age of majority;

 9

10            (iii)  "Delinquent act" means conduct that, if

11  committed by an adult, would constitute a crime under the

12  laws of this state or any political subdivision thereof;

13

14            (iv)  "Disposition" means the action ordered by

15  the juvenile court judge under W.S. 14-6-229 upon

16  adjudication of a juvenile for a delinquent act;

17

18            (v)  "Division" means the Wyoming division of

19  criminal investigation within the office of the attorney

20  general;

21

22            (vi)  "Juvenile" means an individual who is under

23  the age of majority;

24          



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 1            (vii)  "Qualifying offense" means conduct that, if

 2  committed by an adult, would constitute a felony under the

 3  laws of this state or under federal law;

 4

 5            (viii)  "This act" means W.S. 7-19-501 through

 6  7-19-506.

 7

 8       7-19-502.  Record system created.

 9

10       (a)  The division shall create and maintain a database

11  for a juvenile justice information system as provided in

12  this act.

13

14       (b)  The database shall contain the information

15  required by this act.  Access to information in the database

16  shall be limited as provided by W.S. 7-19-504.

17

18       (c)  The division shall promulgate reasonable rules and

19  regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this

20  act.

21

22       7-19-503.  Collection of juvenile justice information.

23

24  (a)  In any case in which a juvenile is adjudicated to

25  have committed a delinquent act by a juvenile court of this



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 1  state, the division shall, to the extent possible, collect

 2  the following information:

 3

 4            (i)  Offender identification information

 5  including:

 6

 7                 (A)  The juvenile offender's name, including

 8  other names by which the juvenile is known, and social

 9  security number;

10

11                 (B)  The juvenile offender's date and place

12  of birth;

13

14                 (C)  The juvenile offender's physical

15  description, including sex, weight, height, race, ethnicity,

16  eye color, hair color, scars, marks and tattoos;

17

18                 (D)  The juvenile offender's last known

19  residential address; and

20

21                 (E)  The juvenile offender's fingerprints.

22

23            (ii)  Offense identification information

24  including:

25          



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 1                 (A)  The criminal offense for which the

 2  juvenile was adjudicated delinquent;

 3

 4                 (B)  Identification of the juvenile court in

 5  which the juvenile was adjudicated delinquent; and

 6

 7                 (C)  The date and description of the final

 8  disposition ordered by the juvenile court.

 9

10       (b)  The information maintained by the division shall

11  not include predisposition studies and reports, social

12  summaries, medical or psychological reports, educational

13  records or transcripts of dispositional hearings.

14

15       (c)  The division may designate codes relating to the

16  information described in subsection (a) of this section.

17

18       7-19-504.  Access to and dissemination of information.

19

20       (a)  Except as provided by subsection (b) of this

21  section, information contained in the juvenile justice

22  information system is confidential information for the use

23  of the division only and may not be disseminated.

24     



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 1       (b)  If a juvenile who has a prior delinquency

 2  adjudication for having committed any criminal offense is

 3  subsequently adjudicated delinquent for committing a

 4  qualified offense, the division may disseminate record

 5  information relating to that juvenile, provided:

 6

 7            (i)  The juvenile history information shall be

 8  accessible only to law enforcement and other authorized

 9  parties to the same extent and under the same circumstances

10  as adult criminal history record information is available

11  under W.S. 7-19-106; and

12

13            (ii)  Only information relating to the qualified

14  offense shall be released.

15

16       (c)  The division shall establish procedures to match

17  delinquency adjudication information to identify repeat

18  offenders whose records are subject to dissemination under

19  this section.

20     

21       7-19-505.  Inspection; deletion or modification of

22  information.

23     

24       (a)  An individual has the right to inspect all

25  juvenile justice record information located within this



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 1  state which refers to him. The record subject may apply to

 2  the juvenile court for an order to purge, modify or

 3  supplement inaccurate or incomplete information.

 4  Notification of each deletion, amendment or supplementary

 5  notation shall be promptly disseminated to any person or

 6  agency which received a copy of the record in question

 7  during the previous twelve (12) month period as well as the

 8  person whose record has been altered.

 9     

10       (b)  The division may prescribe reasonable hours and

11  places for inspection of juvenile justice record information

12  and may impose additional restrictions, including

13  fingerprinting, reasonably necessary to both assure the

14  records' security and to verify the identities of those who

15  seek to inspect the records.

16     

17       (c)  When an application for inspection of juvenile

18  justice record information is received by the division, the

19  division shall determine whether a record pertaining to the

20  applicant is maintained. If a record is maintained, the

21  division shall inform the applicant of the existence of the

22  record and inform him of the procedure for examining the

23  record. Upon verification of his identity, the applicant or

24  his authorized representative shall be allowed to examine

25  the record pertaining to him and to receive a true copy.



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 1

 2       7-19-506.  Expungement of information.

 3

 4       (a)  The division shall expunge all identifying

 5  information relating to a record subject:

 6

 7            (i)  Upon receipt of a certified court order

 8  requiring expungement; or

 9

10            (ii)  Upon the record subject attaining the age of

11  majority if the juvenile's records never became subject to

12  dissemination under W.S. 7-19-504.

13     

14       Section 2.  W.S. 14-6-203(g)(vi), 14-6-229 by creating

15  a new subsection (r), 14-6-239(a)(intro) and (d) and

16  14-6-240(a)(ii), (iii), by creating a new paragraph (iv) and

17  (b) are amended to read:

18     

19       14-6-203.  Jurisdiction; confidentiality of records.

20     

21       (g)  Except as provided by subsection (j) of this

22  section, all information, reports or records made, received

23  or kept by any municipal, county or state officer or

24  employee evidencing any legal or administrative process or

25  disposition resulting from a minor's misconduct are



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 1  confidential and subject to the provisions of this act. The

 2  existence of the information, reports or records or contents

 3  thereof shall not be disclosed by any person unless:

 4     

 5            (vi)  The disclosure is authorized by W.S.

 6 7-19-504 or14-6-240(g).

 7          

 8       14-6-229.  Decree where child adjudged delinquent;

 9  dispositions; terms and conditions; legal custody.

10     

11      (r)  In any proceeding under this act in which a child 

12 is adjudicated to be delinquent:

13     

14           (i)  If the child has not already been 

15 fingerprinted in accordance with W.S. 14-6-240(a), the court 

16 shall order the child to be fingerprinted by the county 

17 sheriff and the fingerprints forwarded to the Wyoming 

18 division of criminal investigation;

19     

20      (ii)  The decree of adjudication entered pursuant 

21 to W.S. 14-6-229(a)(iii) shall include the juvenile record 

22 information described in W.S. 7-19-503(a)(i)(A) through (D) 

23 and (ii); and

24     



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 1           (iii)  The clerk of the juvenile court shall 

 2 forward to the Wyoming division of criminal investigation a 

 3 copy of the decree of adjudication or an abstract containing 

 4 the information required under paragraph (ii) of this 

 5 subsection.

 6     

 7       14-6-239.  Records and reports confidential;

 8  inspection.

 9     

10       (a)  Throughout proceedings pursuant to this act the

11  court shall safeguard the records from disclosure. Upon

12  completion of the proceedings, whether or not there is an

13  adjudication, the court shall order the entire file and

14  record of the proceeding sealed and the court shall not

15  release these records except as provided in W.S.

16  14-6-203(g), 14-6-229(r) or 14-6-240, unless there has been

17  an adjudication of a delinquent act and except to the extent

18  necessary to meet the following inquiries:

19     

20       (d)  Nothing in subsection (a) of this section shall

21  limit the disclosure of records authorized by W.S. 7-19-504 

22 or14-6-240(g).

23     

24       14-6-240.  Fingerprinting or photographing of child;

25  disclosure of child's records.



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 1     

 2       (a)  No child shall be fingerprinted or photographed by

 3  a law enforcement agency or peace officer unless:

 4     

 5            (ii)  A petition has been filed in juvenile court

 6  alleging the child with having committed a delinquent act

 7  which would constitute a felony; or

 8          

 9            (iii)  Latent fingerprints are found during the

10  investigation of a criminal offense and a peace officer has

11  probable cause to believe the fingerprints are those of the

12  child;.or

13          

14           (iv)  The child has been adjudicated to have 

15committed a delinquent act.

16          

17       (b)  Fingerprints and photographs of a child found to

18  have committed a delinquent act which would be a felony if

19  committed by an adult may be retained in a local law

20   enforcement  agency  file. and in the  Wyoming  division  of 

21 criminal investigation files.If the matter does not result

22  in a consent decree or an adjudication that the child was a

23  delinquent for having committed an act constituting a

24  felony, the court shall order all records pertaining to the

25  matter in the files of local law enforcement agencies



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 1  destroyed. Fingerprints of a child adjudicated to have 

 2 committed a delinquent act shall be retained by the Wyoming 

 3 division of criminal investigation in accordance with W.S. 

 4 7-19-501 through 7-19-506.

 5     

 6       Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 1999.

 7     

 8                                      (END)

                                        

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