What's happening
This bill allows law enforcement agencies to access fingerprints of juveniles adjudicated as delinquent for committing a felony.
Why it matters
Expands law enforcement database access. By allowing police access to fingerprints of juveniles adjudicated delinquent for felonies, the bill could make it easier for law enforcement to investigate and solve future crimes, potentially linking juveniles to unsolved cases.
Impacts juvenile privacy and future opportunities. Making juvenile fingerprints available to law enforcement agencies may raise concerns about privacy, stigmatization, or the long-term impact on a young person’s record, even after completing their sentence or rehabilitation.
Targets serious juvenile offenses. The bill maintains existing protections for very young offenders (ages 11 or 12), limiting fingerprint disclosure to only those adjudicated for the most serious (Class A or B) felonies, suggesting a balance between public safety and the rights of minors.
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Who cares
Law enforcement agencies
The bill would give them access on demand to fingerprints, palmprints or photographs forwarded after qualifying felony juvenile delinquency adjudications.
Division of Criminal Justice Services
The division would receive those records with adjudication notifications and be required to make them available to law enforcement agencies upon demand.
Family courts
Courts would have to forward or arrange to forward the fingerprints, palmprints or photographs along with the required adjudication notification.
Juveniles adjudicated delinquent for felony acts
Their covered records would become available to law enforcement on demand, with notification for children ages eleven or twelve limited to acts that would constitute class A or B felonies.
Headline styles
Share Juvenile Prints With Police
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to codes
- Referred to codes
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4918
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 5, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. RAMOS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the family court act, in relation to allowing law enforcement agencies access to fingerprints of juveniles adjudicated juvenile delinquents for commission of a felony
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 354.1 of the family court act, as added by chapter 920 of the laws of 1982, is amended to read as follows:
1. If a person whose fingerprints, palmprints or photographs were taken pursuant to section 306.1 or was initially fingerprinted as a juvenile offender and the action is subsequently removed to a family court pursuant to article seven hundred twenty-five of the criminal procedure law is adjudicated to be a juvenile delinquent for a felony, the family court shall forward or cause to be forwarded to the division of criminal justice services notification of such adjudication along with such fingerprints, palmprints or photographs, which shall be made available to law enforcement agencies upon demand, and such related information as may be required by such division, provided, however, in the case of a person eleven or twelve years of age such notification shall be provided only if the act upon which the adjudication is based would constitute a class A or B felony.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07460-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.