{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-307.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-307.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-307.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-307.html"}],"law_id":83957,"edition_id":1,"section_id":83957,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-307","catch_line":"Circuit court records regarding juveniles","history":"1977, c. 559; 1990, c. 258; 1993, cc. 468, 926; 1996, cc. 755, 914.","full_text":"In proceedings against a juvenile in the circuit court in which the circuit court deals with the child in the same manner as a case in the juvenile court, the clerk of the court shall preserve all records connected with the proceedings in files separate from other files and records of the court as provided in \u00a7 16.1-302. Except as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-389.1 and 19.2-390, such records shall be open for inspection only in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 16.1-305 and shall be subject to expungement provisions of \u00a7 16.1-306. In proceedings in which a juvenile, fourteen years of age or older at the time of the offense, was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court on the basis of an act which would be a felony if committed by an adult, or was found guilty of a felony in the circuit court, any court records, other than those specified in subsection A of \u00a7 16.1-305, regarding that adjudication or conviction and any subsequent adjudication of delinquency or conviction of a crime, shall be available and shall be treated in the same manner as adult criminal records.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":300870,"text":"In proceedings against a juvenile in the circuit court in which the circuit court deals with the child in the same manner as a case in the juvenile court, the clerk of the court shall preserve all records connected with the proceedings in files separate from other files and records of the court as provided in \u00a7 16.1-302. Except as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-389.1 and 19.2-390, such records shall be open for inspection only in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 16.1-305 and shall be subject to expungement provisions of \u00a7 16.1-306. In proceedings in which a juvenile, fourteen years of age or older at the time of the offense, was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court on the basis of an act which would be a felony if committed by an adult, or was found guilty of a felony in the circuit court, any court records, other than those specified in subsection A of \u00a7 16.1-305, regarding that adjudication or conviction and any subsequent adjudication of delinquency or conviction of a crime, shall be available and shall be treated in the same manner as adult criminal records.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13940,"edition_id":1,"name":"Confidentiality and Expungement","identifier":"12","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12701,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:21","permalink":{"id":161017,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13940,"identifier":"12","token":"16.1\/11\/12","url":"\/16.1\/11\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12701,"edition_id":1,"name":"Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts","identifier":"11","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160945,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12701,"identifier":"11","token":"16.1\/11","url":"\/16.1\/11\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":84235,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299","catch_line":"(Effective until July 1, 2026) Fingerprints and photographs of juveniles","url":"\/16.1-299\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299","metadata":false},{"id":64607,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299.1","catch_line":"Sample required for DNA analysis upon conviction or adjudication of felony","url":"\/16.1-299.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299.1","metadata":false},{"id":54996,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-299.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-299.2\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-299.2","metadata":false},{"id":86382,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-300","catch_line":"Confidentiality of Department records","url":"\/16.1-300\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-300","metadata":false},{"id":74120,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-301","catch_line":"Confidentiality of juvenile law-enforcement records; disclosures to school principal and others","url":"\/16.1-301\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-301","metadata":false},{"id":64090,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-302","catch_line":"Dockets, indices, and order books; when hearings and records private; right to public hearing; presence of juvenile in court","url":"\/16.1-302\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-302","metadata":false},{"id":70200,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-302.1","catch_line":"Right of victim or representative to attend certain proceedings; notice of hearings","url":"\/16.1-302.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-302.1","metadata":false},{"id":62170,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-303","catch_line":"Reports of court officials and employees when privileged","url":"\/16.1-303\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-303","metadata":false},{"id":57650,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-304","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/16.1-304\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-304","metadata":false},{"id":87014,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-305","catch_line":"Confidentiality of court records","url":"\/16.1-305\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-305","metadata":false},{"id":83654,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-305.01","catch_line":"Access to child and spousal support case files","url":"\/16.1-305.01\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-305.01","metadata":false},{"id":61575,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-305.1","catch_line":"Disclosure of disposition in certain delinquency cases","url":"\/16.1-305.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-305.1","metadata":false},{"id":72253,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-305.2","catch_line":"Disclosure of notice of the filing of a petition and certain reports by division superintendent","url":"\/16.1-305.2\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-305.2","metadata":false},{"id":66357,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-306","catch_line":"Expungement of court records","url":"\/16.1-306\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-306","metadata":false},{"id":83957,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-307","catch_line":"Circuit court records regarding juveniles","url":"\/16.1-307\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-307","metadata":false},{"id":82034,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-308","catch_line":"Effect of adjudication on status of child","url":"\/16.1-308\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-308","metadata":false},{"id":78870,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-309","catch_line":"Penalty","url":"\/16.1-309\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-309","metadata":false},{"id":63770,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-309.1","catch_line":"Exception as to confidentiality","url":"\/16.1-309.1\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-309.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":66357,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-306","catch_line":"Expungement of court records","url":"\/16.1-306\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-306","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":82034,"structure_id":13940,"section_number":"16.1-308","catch_line":"Effect of adjudication on status of child","url":"\/16.1-308\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-308","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-307\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1977. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 559 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1977 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1990, chapter 258; in 1993, chapters 468 and 926; in 1996, chapters 755<\/a> and 914<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":78870,"section_number":"16.1-309","catch_line":"Penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-309\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":64090,"section_number":"16.1-302","catch_line":"Dockets, indices, and order books; when hearings and records private; right to public hearing; presence of juvenile in court","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-302\/"},{"id":87014,"section_number":"16.1-305","catch_line":"Confidentiality of court records","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-305\/"},{"id":66357,"section_number":"16.1-306","catch_line":"Expungement of court records","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-306\/"},{"id":63594,"section_number":"19.2-389.1","catch_line":"Dissemination of juvenile record information","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-389.1\/"},{"id":82582,"section_number":"19.2-390","catch_line":"Reports to be made by local law-enforcement officers, conservators of the peace, clerks of court, Secretary of the Commonwealth and Corrections officials to State Police; material submitted by other agencies","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-390\/"}],"permalink":{"id":161075,"object_type":"law","relational_id":83957,"identifier":"16.1-307","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-307","url":"\/16.1-307\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-307\/","token":"16.1\/11\/12\/16.1-307","dublin_core":{"Title":"Circuit court records regarding juveniles","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-307","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In proceedings against a juvenile in the circuit<\/span> court in which the circuit<\/span> court deals with the child in the same manner as a case in the juvenile court<\/span>, the clerk of the court<\/span> shall preserve all records connected with the proceedings in files separate from other files and records of the court<\/span> as provided in \u00a7 16.1-302<\/a>. Except as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-389.1<\/a> and 19.2-390<\/a>, such records shall be open for inspection only in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 16.1-305<\/a> and shall be subject to expungement provisions of \u00a7 16.1-306<\/a>. In proceedings in which a juvenile, fourteen years of age or older at the time of the offense<\/span>, was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court<\/span> on the basis of an act which would be a felony<\/span> if committed by an adult<\/span>, or was found guilty of a felony<\/span> in the circuit<\/span> court, any court records, other than those specified in subsection A of \u00a7 16.1-305<\/a>, regarding that adjudication or conviction<\/span> and any subsequent adjudication of delinquency or conviction<\/span> of a crime<\/span>, shall be available and shall be treated in the same manner as adult<\/span> criminal records.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCIRCUIT COURT RECORDS REGARDING JUVENILES (\u00a7 16.1-307)\n\nIn proceedings against a juvenile in the circuit court in which the circuit\ncourt deals with the child in the same manner as a case in the juvenile court,\nthe clerk of the court shall preserve all records connected with the proceedings\nin files separate from other files and records of the court as provided in \u00a7\n16.1-302. Except as provided in \u00a7\u00a7 19.2-389.1 and 19.2-390, such records shall\nbe open for inspection only in accordance with the provisions of \u00a7 16.1-305 and\nshall be subject to expungement provisions of \u00a7 16.1-306. In proceedings in\nwhich a juvenile, fourteen years of age or older at the time of the offense, was\nadjudicated delinquent in juvenile court on the basis of an act which would be a\nfelony if committed by an adult, or was found guilty of a felony in the circuit\ncourt, any court records, other than those specified in subsection A of \u00a7\n16.1-305, regarding that adjudication or conviction and any subsequent\nadjudication of delinquency or conviction of a crime, shall be available and\nshall be treated in the same manner as adult criminal records.\n\nHISTORY: 1977, c. 559; 1990, c. 258; 1993, cc. 468, 926; 1996, cc. 755, 914.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}