Whenever any person has been adjudicated a youthful offender and has subsequently been discharged from the supervision of the court or from the care of any institution or agency to whom he has been committed by the court, all police and court records pertaining to such youthful offender shall be automatically erased when such person attains twenty-one years of age, provided such person has not subsequent to being adjudged a youthful offender been convicted of a felony, as defined in section 53a-25, prior to attaining such age. Youthful offender status shall not be deemed conviction of a crime for the purposes of this section. Upon the entry of such an erasure order, all references including arrest, complaint, referrals, petitions, reports and orders, shall be removed from all agency, official and institutional files. The persons in charge of such records shall not disclose to any person, except the subject of the record, upon submission of satisfactory proof of the subject's identity in accordance with guidelines prescribed by the Chief Court Administrator, information pertaining to the record so erased. No youth who has been the subject of such an erasure order shall be deemed to have been arrested ab initio, within the meaning of the general statutes, with respect to proceedings so erased. Copies of the erasure order shall be sent to all persons, agencies, officials or institutions known to have information pertaining to the proceedings affecting such youth.

(1972, P.A. 20, S. 1; P.A. 77-486, S. 3, 5; P.A. 92-115, S. 1, 2.)

History: P.A. 77-486 replaced provision which had required erasure of records pertaining to youthful offenders upon receipt of petition filed by youths, their parents or guardians if two years have elapsed from date of discharge with new provisions requiring automatic erasure when offenders reach 21 if they have not subsequently been convicted of a felony and specifying that youthful offender status is not deemed to be conviction of a crime; P.A. 92-115 added provision that records may be disclosed to subject of the record, upon submission of proof of identity in accordance with guidelines prescribed by chief court administrator.

Cited. 173 C. 414; 179 C. 98; 183 C. 183; 192 C. 85; 240 C. 743.

Cited. 30 CS 71; 38 CS 675.