PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor
Ch. 312
Article - Courts and Judicial Proceedings
3-828.
(a) A police record concerning a child is confidential and shall be maintained
separate from those of adults. Its contents may not be divulged, by subpoena or otherwise,
except by order of the court upon good cause shown or as otherwise provided in § 7-303
of the Education Article. This subsection does not prohibit access to and confidential use
of the record by the Department of Juvenile Justice or in the investigation and
prosecution of the child by any law enforcement agency.
(b) (1) A court record pertaining to a child is confidential and its contents may
not be divulged, by subpoena or otherwise, except by order of the court upon good cause
shown or as provided in § 7-303 of the Education Article.
(2) This subsection does not prohibit access to and the use of the court
record or fingerprints of a child described under the Criminal Justice Information System
subtitle of Article 27 of the Code in a proceeding in the court involving the child, by
personnel of the court, the State's Attorney, counsel for the child, a court-appointed
special advocate for the child, or authorized personnel of the Department of Juvenile
Justice, or, in a proceeding involving a child alleged to be in need of assistance, by
authorized personnel of the Social Services Administration and local departments of
social services of the Department of Human Resources in order to conduct a child abuse
or neglect investigation or to comply with requirements imposed under Title IV-E of the
Social Security Act.
(3) Information obtained from a juvenile court record by authorized
personnel of the Department of Human Resources under paragraph (2) of this subsection
is subject to the provisions of Article 88A, § 6 of the Code.
(4) (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, this
subsection does not prohibit access to and confidential use of the court record or
fingerprints of a child described under the Criminal Justice Information System subtitle
of Article 27 of the Code in an investigation and prosecution by a law enforcement
agency.
(ii) The court record or fingerprints of a child described under Article
27, §§ 747(a)(21) and 747A of the Code may not be disclosed to:
1. A federal criminal justice agency or information center; or
2. Any law enforcement agency other than a law enforcement
agency of the State or a political subdivision of the State.
(c) The court, on its own motion or on petition, and for good cause shown, may
order the court records of a child sealed, and, upon petition or on its own motion, shall
order them sealed after the child has reached 21 years of age. If sealed, the court records
of a child may not be opened, for any purpose, except by order of the court upon good
cause shown.
(d) This section does not prohibit access to or use of any juvenile record by the
Maryland Division of Parole and Probation or the Maryland Parole Commission when the
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