2021 Texas Statutes
Family Code
Title 3 - Juvenile Justice Code
Chapter 58 - Records; Juvenile Justice Information System
Subchapter C. -1. Sealing and Destruction of Juvenile Records
Section 58.254. Certification of Eligibility for Sealing Records Without Application for Delinquent Conduct
Sec. 58.254. CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SEALING RECORDS WITHOUT APPLICATION FOR DELINQUENT CONDUCT. (a) The Department of Public Safety shall certify to a juvenile probation department that has submitted records to the juvenile justice information system that the records relating to a person referred to the juvenile probation department appear to be eligible for sealing under Section 58.253.
(b) The Department of Public Safety may issue the certification described by Subsection (a) by electronic means, including by electronic mail.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), not later than the 60th day after the date the juvenile probation department receives a certification under Subsection (a), the juvenile probation department shall:
(1) give notice of the receipt of the certification to the juvenile court; and
(2) provide the court with a list of all referrals received by the department relating to that person and the outcome of each referral.
(d) If a juvenile probation department has reason to believe the records of the person for whom the department received a certification under Subsection (a) are not eligible to be sealed, the juvenile probation department shall notify the Department of Public Safety not later than the 15th day after the date the juvenile probation department received the certification. If the juvenile probation department later determines that the person's records are eligible to be sealed, the juvenile probation department shall notify the juvenile court and provide the court the information described by Subsection (c) not later than the 30th day after the date of the determination.
(e) If, after receiving a certification under Subsection (a), the juvenile probation department determines that the person's records are not eligible to be sealed, the juvenile probation department and the Department of Public Safety shall update the juvenile justice information system to reflect that determination and no further action related to the records is required.
(f) Not later than the 60th day after the date a juvenile court receives notice from a juvenile probation department under Subsection (c), the juvenile court shall issue an order sealing all records relating to the person named in the certification.
Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 746 (S.B. 1304), Sec. 18, eff. September 1, 2017.
