Texas bill would end fingerprinting of juvenile offenders

Posted By Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass || 7-May-2013

Should low-level juvenile offenders in Texas be fingerprinted after an arrest? Texas lawmakers are debating a bill that would stop Texas from fingerprinting low-level youth offenders. The Texas Senate has already passed the proposed bill that would create an advisory committee to review and possibly end the practice of fingerprinting juveniles arrested for low-level offenses.

The bill was proposed to stop criminal records from being created after a juvenile commits a low-level offense. Under current laws, after a juvenile offender is arrested and fingerprinted, a criminal record is created and open to the public. The proposed bill would eliminate the fingerprinting requirement, thus preventing the juvenile from having a criminal record.

The lawmaker sponsoring the bill said that juvenile offenders who commit low-level offenses should not have their juvenile records accessed by the public. The bill would prevent juveniles from being fingerprinted and having a criminal record created, and allow juveniles to get their lives on track before they become adults.

The bill would require the Texas Juvenile Justice Department to evaluate if the state could stop juvenile offenders from being fingerprinted without impacting public safety. Some opposed to the bill say that allowing certain juvenile offenders not to be fingerprinted or have a criminal record could put the public's safety at risk. However, supporters of the bill say that these juveniles are non-violent, low-level offenders and it would only apply to juveniles considered delinquent and sent to the state probation department.

The bill was already passed by the Senate. It now heads to the state House to be voted on. If the bill is passed and signed into law, it would mean that fewer juvenile offenders would have a criminal record, which would improve their chances for a successful future free from the stigma associated with having a criminal record.

Source: Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, "Bill that May End Fingerprinting of Low-Level Youth Offenders Advances in Texas," James Swift, May 3, 2013