Individuals have a right to a copy of any records held on them by the Department of Juvenile Justice. They may also ask for such records to be sent to an attorney currently representing them. Where the individual is under 18 years of age at the time of the request, it must be made by their parent or legal guardian. Certain other bodies may be entitled to inspect DJJ records in accordance with § 16.1-300 of the Code of Virginia.
DJJ can provide an offense history for up to five years after the last hearing on a case, but not beyond the subject’s 26th birthday. Note, however, that the Department does not hold court records. For these, inquiry should be made to the clerk of the relevant court. Where the subject was placed on probation or parole, or was diverted away from the justice system to an alternative program, the local Court Service Unit’s records will be available up to five years after the last hearing on a case, but not beyond the subject’s 26th birthday.
Aside from an offense history and CSU records, DJJ will only hold records for juveniles who were given a custodial sentence and were residents in a Juvenile Correction Center. These records are destroyed after a certain period:
Juveniles who were resident in a local Juvenile Detention Center should approach the center to see what records are held (but note that such records are destroyed to the same schedule as JCC records).
If you are asked by someone to obtain your records and pass them over as part of a research study, you should be aware that the study has not been approved by DJJ. The Code of Virginia and the Virginia Administrative Code do not permit DJJ to share identifiable juvenile record information for external research requests.
An individual who wishes to make a records request should download, complete and sign this request form. An attorney who wishes to request the records of an individual they represent should download and complete this request form. If the subject is currently under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian should sign; otherwise, the subject should sign. You may sign the form in ink or electronically using Adobe Acrobat’s digital signature feature. The signed form should be sent to records.requests@djj.virginia.gov or to:
Juvenile Records Requests
Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice
600 East Main Street, 20th Floor
Richmond, VA 23218-1110
The form should be accompanied by a copy of the requester’s official ID, such as a driver’s license or passport; if the request is that records be sent to an attorney, it must be accompanied by a letter from that attorney confirming that they currently represent the subject.
If you have any questions, please contact the records team at records.requests@djj.virginia.gov or on 804-588-4414.
