How Public Will Your Criminal Charges Be?
Interviewer: That’s good. I guess if I were to put myself in a situation with getting arrested, one of my concerns would be how public my situation would be. Will work find out? Will my friends find out?
Your Arrest Is Public Record
Jack O’Donnell: It is public record, and I can do nothing about keeping it out of the newspaper if the reporter has a habit of going and looking at the police logs. Then it’s a public record; people can look it up on the Internet, the dockets are all visible, cases are heard in open court.
Arrest Records for Juveniles Are Not Public Record
This, of course, doesn’t apply to juveniles, which was formerly known as a youthful offender. Arrest records for juveniles up to the age of 18 are confidential. Everyone 18 and above is public record, so there’s nothing that can really be done.