Can juvenile records be erased?

Most state and federal statutes provide that a juvenile criminal record can be erased when the child reaches a certain age, and in some states this is mandatory. All state and federal laws include a provision allowing a juvenile to petition for removal of a criminal record once the child reaches majority. For example, federal law allows a juvenile convicted of a first-time drug possession offense, whose punishment is not more than one year of probation, to have his or her record expunged. The practice of removing a juvenile's criminal past from the record was adopted to enable the offender the opportunity to rehabilitate and to enter adult life with a clean slate. Because of the increase in juvenile crimes, and the increasing seriousness of some juvenile crimes, this practice is being questioned in some legal quarters. Arguments raised in opposition to the expunging of juvenile criminal records include the changing nature of juvenile crime, a prospective employer's inability to conduct an accurate background check on a job applicant, and the claim that erasing juvenile criminal records hampers the police in their efforts to combat juvenile crime. Despite this opposition, the fact remains that most states and federal laws do allow the criminal records of juveniles to be erased.