TITLE 20

STATE PRISON AND COUNTY JAILS

CHAPTER 5

JUVENILE CORRECTIONS ACT

20-525.  Records — Privileged information. (1) The court shall maintain records of all cases brought before it. In proceedings under this act the following juvenile courtroom proceedings and records shall be open to the public: all proceedings against a juvenile offender of the age of fourteen (14) years or older and who is petitioned or charged with an offense which would be a felony if committed by an adult including the court docket, petitions, complaints, information, arraignments, trials, sentencings, probation violation hearings and dispositions, motions and other papers filed in any case in any district; transcripts of testimony taken by the court; and findings, verdicts, judgments, orders, decrees and other papers filed in proceedings before the court of any district.

(2)  Juvenile courtroom proceedings and records shall remain confidential when the court and the prosecutor agree extraordinary circumstances exist that justify records of a juvenile offender of the age of fourteen (14) years or older and who is petitioned or charged with an offense which would be a felony if committed by an adult should remain confidential because it is in the best interest of the juvenile offender.

(3)  In proceedings under this act the following records and court proceedings of juvenile offenders of the age of thirteen (13) years or younger shall not be withheld from public inspection, except on court order, which order must be made in writing in each case: the court docket, petitions, complaints, information, arraignments, trials, sentencings, probation violation hearings and dispositions, motions and other papers filed in any case in any district; transcripts of testimony taken by the court; and findings, verdicts, judgments, orders, decrees and other papers filed in proceedings before the court of any district.

(4)  These records shall be open to inspection according to chapter 1, title 74, Idaho Code. All information obtained and social records prepared in the discharge of official duty by an employee of the court shall be subject to disclosure according to chapter 1, title 74, Idaho Code.

(5)  The victim of misconduct shall always be entitled to the name of the juvenile offender involved, the name of the juvenile offender’s parents or guardian, and their addresses and telephone numbers, if available in the records of the court.

(6)  Notwithstanding the other provisions of this act and notwithstanding any order entered pursuant hereto, nothing in this act shall prohibit the exchange of records created pursuant to this act between prosecuting attorneys or courts in this state.

History:

[(20-525) 1963, ch. 319, sec. 16, p. 876; am. 1977, ch. 156, sec. 4, p. 404; am. 1990, ch. 213, sec. 12, p. 498; am. 1990, ch. 245, sec. 2, p. 698; am. 1994, ch. 326, sec. 2, p. 1052; am. and redesig. 1995, ch. 44, sec. 26, p. 91; am. 1997, ch. 258, sec. 1, p. 732; am. 2012, ch. 19, sec. 21, p. 58; am. 2015, ch. 141, sec. 26, p. 406.]