775-785
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 775-785
775. Any order made by the court in the case of any person subject to its jurisdiction may at any time be changed, modified, or set aside, as the judge deems meet and proper, subject to such procedural requirements as are imposed by this article. 776. No order changing, modifying, or setting aside a previous order of the juvenile court shall be made either in chambers, or otherwise, unless prior notice of the application therefor has been given by the judge or the clerk of the court to the probation officer and prosecuting attorney and to the minor's counsel of record, or, if there is no counsel of record, to the minor and his parent or guardian. 777. An order changing or modifying a previous order by removing a minor from the physical custody of a parent, guardian, relative, or friend and directing placement in a foster home, or commitment to a private institution or commitment to a county institution, or an order changing or modifying a previous order by directing commitment to the Youth Authority shall be made only after a noticed hearing. (a) The notice shall be made as follows: (1) By the probation officer where a minor has been declared a ward of the court or a probationer under Section 601 in the original matter and shall contain a concise statement of facts sufficient to support the conclusion that the minor has violated an order of the court. (2) By the probation officer or the prosecuting attorney if the minor is a court ward or probationer under Section 602 in the original matter and the notice alleges a violation of a condition of probation not amounting to a crime. The notice shall contain a concise statement of facts sufficient to support this conclusion. (3) Where the probation officer is the petitioner pursuant to paragraph (2), prior to the attachment of jeopardy at the time of the jurisdictional hearing the prosecuting attorney may make a motion to dismiss the notice and may request that the matter be referred to the probation officer for whatever action the prosecuting or probation officer may deem appropriate. (b) Upon the filing of such notice, the clerk of the juvenile court shall immediately set the same for hearing within 30 days, and the probation officer shall cause notice of it to be served upon the persons and in the manner prescribed by Sections 658 and 660. (c) The facts alleged in the notice shall be established by a preponderance of the evidence at a hearing to change, modify, or set aside a previous order. The court may admit and consider reliable hearsay evidence at the hearing to the same extent that such evidence would be admissible in an adult probation revocation hearing, pursuant to the decision in People v. Brown, 215 Cal.App.3d (1989) and any other relevant provision of law. (d) An order for the detention of the minor pending adjudication of the alleged violation may be made only after a hearing is conducted pursuant to Article 15 (commencing with Section 625) of this chapter. 778. Any parent or other person having an interest in a child who is a ward of the juvenile court or the child himself through a properly appointed guardian may, upon grounds of change of circumstance or new evidence, petition the court in the same action in which the child was found to be a ward of the juvenile court for a hearing to change, modify, or set aside any order of court previously made or to terminate the jurisdiction of the court. The petition shall be verified and, if made by a person other than the child, shall state the petitioner's relationship to or interest in the child and shall set forth in concise language any change of circumstance or new evidence which are alleged to require such change of order or termination of jurisdiction. If it appears that the best interests of the child may be promoted by the proposed change of order or termination of jurisdiction, the court shall order that a hearing be held and shall give prior notice, or cause prior notice to be given, to such persons and by such means as prescribed by Sections 776 and 779, and, in such instances as the means of giving notice is not prescribed by such sections, then by such means as the court prescribes. 779. The court committing a ward to the Youth Authority may thereafter change, modify, or set aside the order of commitment. Ten days' notice of the hearing of the application therefor shall be served by United States mail upon the Director of the Youth Authority. In changing, modifying, or setting aside the order of commitment, the court shall give due consideration to the effect thereof upon the discipline and parole system of the Youth Authority or of the correctional school in which the ward may have been placed by the Youth Authority. Except as provided in this section, nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to interfere with the system of parole and discharge now or hereafter established by law, or by rule of the Youth Authority, for the parole and discharge of wards of the juvenile court committed to the Youth Authority, or with the management of any school, institution, or facility under the jurisdiction of the Youth Authority. Except as provided in this section, this chapter does not interfere with the system of transfer between institutions and facilities under the jurisdiction of the Youth Authority. This section does not limit the authority of the court to change, modify, or set aside an order of commitment after a noticed hearing and upon a showing of good cause that the Youth Authority is unable to, or failing to, provide treatment consistent with Section 734. However, before any inmate of a correctional school may be transferred to a state hospital, he or she shall first be returned to a court of competent jurisdiction and, after hearing, may be committed to a state hospital for the insane in accordance with law. 780. If any person who has been committed to the Youth Authority appears to be an improper person to be received by or retained in any institution or facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Youth Authority or to be so incorrigible or so incapable of reformation under the discipline of any institution or facility under the jurisdiction of the department as to render his or her retention detrimental to the interests of the department, the department may order the return of that person to the committing court. However, the return of any person to the committing court does not relieve the department of any of its duties or responsibilities under the original commitment, and that commitment continues in full force and effect until it is vacated, modified, or set aside by order of the court. If any person is returned to the committing court, his or her transportation shall be made, and the compensation therefor paid, as provided for the order of commitment. 781. (a) In any case in which a petition has been filed with a juvenile court to commence proceedings to adjudge a person a ward of the court, in any case in which a person is cited to appear before a probation officer or is taken before a probation officer pursuant to Section 626, or in any case in which a minor is taken before any officer of a law enforcement agency, the person or the county probation officer may, five years or more after the jurisdiction of the juvenile court has terminated as to the person, or, in a case in which no petition is filed, five years or more after the person was cited to appear before a probation officer or was taken before a probation officer pursuant to Section 626 or was taken before any officer of a law enforcement agency, or, in any case, at any time after the person has reached the age of 18 years, petition the court for sealing of the records, including records of arrest, relating to the person's case, in the custody of the juvenile court and probation officer and any other agencies, including law enforcement agencies, and public officials as the petitioner alleges, in his or her petition, to have custody of the records. The court shall notify the district attorney of the county and the county probation officer, if he or she is not the petitioner, and the district attorney or probation officer or any of their deputies or any other person having relevant evidence may testify at the hearing on the petition. If, after hearing, the court finds that since the termination of jurisdiction or action pursuant to Section 626, as the case may be, he or she has not been convicted of a felony or of any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude and that rehabilitation has been attained to the satisfaction of the court, it shall order all records, papers, and exhibits in the person's case in the custody of the juvenile court sealed, including the juvenile court record, minute book entries, and entries on dockets, and any other records relating to the case in the custody of the other agencies and officials as are named in the order. In any case in which a ward of the juvenile court is subject to the registration requirements set forth in Section 290 of the Penal Code, a court, in ordering the sealing of the juvenile records of the person, also shall provide in the order that the person is relieved from the registration requirement and for the destruction of all registration information in the custody of the Department of Justice and other agencies and officials. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court shall not order the person's records sealed in any case in which the person has been found by the juvenile court to have committed an offense listed in subdivision (b) of Section 707 when he or she had attained 14 years of age or older. Once the court has ordered the person's records sealed, the proceedings in the case shall be deemed never to have occurred, and the person may properly reply accordingly to any inquiry about the events, the records of which are ordered sealed. The court shall send a copy of the order to each agency and official named therein, directing the agency to seal its records and stating the date thereafter to destroy the sealed records. Each such agency and official shall seal the records in its custody as directed by the order, shall advise the court of its compliance, and thereupon shall seal the copy of the court's order for sealing of records that it, he, or she received. The person who is the subject of records sealed pursuant to this section may petition the superior court to permit inspection of the records by persons named in the petition, and the superior court may so order. Otherwise, except as provided in subdivision (b), the records shall not be open to inspection. (b) In any action or proceeding based upon defamation, a court, upon a showing of good cause, may order any records sealed under this section to be opened and admitted into evidence. The records shall be confidential and shall be available for inspection only by the court, jury, parties, counsel for the parties, and any other person who is authorized by the court to inspect them. Upon the judgment in the action or proceeding becoming final, the court shall order the records sealed. (c) (1) Subdivision (a) does not apply to Department of Motor Vehicle records of any convictions for offenses under the Vehicle Code or any local ordinance relating to the operation, stopping and standing, or parking of a vehicle where the record of any such conviction would be a public record under Section 1808 of the Vehicle Code. However, if a court orders a case record containing any such conviction to be sealed under this section, and if the Department of Motor Vehicles maintains a public record of such a conviction, the court shall notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of the sealing and the department shall advise the court of its receipt of the notice. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, subsequent to the notification, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall allow access to its record of convictions only to the subject of the record and to insurers which have been granted requestor code numbers by the department. Any insurer to which such a record of conviction is disclosed, when such a conviction record has otherwise been sealed under this section, shall be given notice of the sealing when the record is disclosed to the insurer. The insurer may use the information contained in the record for purposes of determining eligibility for insurance and insurance rates for the subject of the record, and the information shall not be used for any other purpose nor shall it be disclosed by an insurer to any person or party not having access to the record. (2) This subdivision shall not be construed as preventing the sealing of any record which is maintained by any agency or party other than the Department of Motor Vehicles. (3) This subdivision shall not be construed as affecting the procedures or authority of the Department of Motor Vehicles for purging department records. (d) Unless for good cause the court determines that the juvenile court record shall be retained, the court shall order the destruction of a person's juvenile court records that are sealed pursuant to this section as follows: five years after the record was ordered sealed, if the person who is the subject of the record was alleged or adjudged to be a person described by Section 601; or when the person who is the subject of the record reaches the age of 38 if the person was alleged or adjudged to be a person described by Section 602, except that if the subject of the record was found to be a person described in Section 602 because of the commission of an offense listed in subdivision (b), of Section 707, when he or she was 14 years of age or older, the record shall not be destroyed. Any other agency in possession of sealed records may destroy its records five years after the record was ordered sealed. (e) This section shall not permit the sealing of a person's juvenile court records for an offense where the person is convicted of that offense in a criminal court pursuant to the provisions of Section 707.1. This subdivision is declaratory of existing law. 781.5. (a) Notwithstanding Section 781, in any case where a minor has been cited to appear before a probation officer, has been taken before a probation officer pursuant to Section 626, or has been taken before any officer of a law enforcement agency, and no accusatory pleading or petition to adjudge the minor a ward of the court has been filed, the minor may request in writing that the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense destroy their records of the arrest or citation. A copy of the request shall be served upon the district attorney of the county having jurisdiction over the offense. The law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense, upon a determination that the minor is factually innocent, shall, with the concurrence of the district attorney, seal their records with respect to the minor and the request for relief under this section for three years from the date of the arrest or citation and thereafter destroy the records and the request. A determination of factual innocence shall not be made pursuant to this subdivision unless the law enforcement agency and probation officer, with the concurrence of the district attorney, determine that no reasonable cause exists to believe that the minor committed the offense for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued. The law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense shall notify the Department of Justice, and any other law enforcement agency or probation officer that arrested or cited the minor or participated in the arrest or citing of the minor for an offense for which the minor has been found factually innocent under this subdivision, of the sealing of the minor's records and the reason therefor. The Department of Justice and any law enforcement agency or probation officer so notified shall forthwith seal its records of the arrest or citation and the notice of sealing for three years from the date of the arrest or citation, and thereafter destroy those records and the notice of sealing. The law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense and the Department of Justice shall request the destruction of any records of the arrest or citation that they have given to any local, state, or federal agency or to any other person or entity. Each agency, person, or entity within the State of California receiving that request shall destroy its records of the arrest or citation and that request, unless otherwise provided in this section. (b) If, after receipt by the law enforcement agency, probation officer, and the district attorney of a request for relief under subdivision (a), the law enforcement agency, probation officer, and district attorney do not respond to the request by accepting or denying the request within 60 days after the running of the statute of limitations for the offense for which the minor was cited or arrested or within 60 days after receipt of the petition in cases where the statute of limitations has previously lapsed, then the request shall be deemed to be denied. In any case where the request of a minor to the law enforcement agency and probation officer to have a record destroyed is denied, petition may be made to the juvenile court that would have had jurisdiction over the matter. A copy of the petition shall be served on the district attorney of the county having jurisdiction over the offense at least 10 days prior to the hearing thereon. The district attorney may present evidence to the court at the hearing. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any judicial determination of factual innocence made pursuant to this subdivision may be heard and determined upon declarations, affidavits, police reports, or any other evidence submitted by the parties that is material, relevant, and reliable. A finding of factual innocence and an order for the sealing and destruction of records pursuant to this subdivision or subdivision (d) shall not be made unless the court finds that no reasonable cause exists to believe that the minor committed the offense for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued. In any court hearing to determine the factual innocence of a minor, the initial burden of proof shall rest with the minor to show that no reasonable cause exists to believe that the minor committed the offense for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued. If the court finds that this showing of no reasonable cause has been made by the minor, then the burden of proof shall shift to the respondent to show that a reasonable cause exists to believe that the minor committed the offense for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued. (c) If the court finds the minor to be factually innocent of the charges for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued, then the court shall order the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense, the Department of Justice, and any law enforcement agency or probation officer that arrested or cited the minor or participated in the arrest or citation of the minor for an offense for which the minor has been found factually innocent under this section, to seal their records relating to the minor and the court order to seal and destroy those records, for three years from the date of the arrest or citation and thereafter to destroy those records and the court order to seal and destroy those records. The court shall also order the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense and the Department of Justice to request the destruction of any records of the arrest that they have given to any local, state, or federal agency, person or entity. Each state or local agency, person or entity within the State of California receiving that request shall destroy its records of the arrest or citation and the request to destroy those records, unless otherwise provided in this section. The court shall give to the minor a copy of any court order concerning the destruction of the arrest or citation records. (d) Notwithstanding Section 781, in any case where a minor has been arrested or a citation has been issued, and an accusatory pleading or petition to adjudge the minor a ward of the court has been filed, but not sustained, the minor may, at any time after dismissal of the proceeding, request in writing from the court that dismissed the proceeding a finding that the minor is factually innocent of the charges for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued. A copy of the request shall be served on the district attorney of the county in which the accusatory pleading or petition was filed at least 10 days prior to the hearing on the minor's factual innocence. The district attorney may present evidence to the court at the hearing. The hearing shall be conducted as provided in subdivision (b). If the court finds the petitioner to be factually innocent of the charges for which the arrest was made or the citation was issued, then the court shall grant the relief as provided in subdivision (c). (e) Notwithstanding Section 781, in any case where a minor has been arrested or cited and an accusatory pleading or petition to adjudge the minor a ward of the court has been filed, but not sustained, and it appears to the judge presiding at the proceeding that the minor was factually innocent of the offense, the court, upon the written or oral motion of any party in the case or on the court' s own motion, may grant the relief provided in subdivision (c). If the district attorney objects to the court granting that relief, the district attorney may request a hearing as to the minor's factual innocence . This hearing shall be conducted as provided in subdivision (b). (f) In any case where a minor who has been arrested or cited is granted relief pursuant to this section, the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense or the court shall issue a written declaration to the minor stating that it is the determination of the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense or the court that the minor is factually innocent of the charges for which the minor was arrested or cited and that the minor is thereby exonerated. Thereafter, the arrest or citation shall be deemed not to have occurred and the minor may answer accordingly any question relating to its occurrence. (g) The Department of Justice shall furnish forms to be utilized by minors requesting the destruction of their arrest or citation records and for the written declaration that a minor was found factually innocent under this section. (h) Documentation of arrest or citation records that are destroyed pursuant to this section that are contained in investigative police reports shall bear the notation "Exonerated" whenever reference is made to the minor. The minor shall be notified in writing by the law enforcement agency and probation officer having jurisdiction over the offense of the sealing and destruction of the arrest and citation records pursuant to this section. (i) Any finding that a minor is factually innocent pursuant to this section shall not be admissible as evidence in any action. (j) Destruction of records of arrest or citation pursuant to this section shall be accomplished by permanent obliteration of all entries or notations upon those records pertaining to the arrest or citation, and the record shall be prepared again so that it appears that the arrest or citation never occurred. However, where the only entries on the record pertain to the arrest or citation and the record can be destroyed without necessarily effecting the destruction of other records, then the document constituting the record shall be physically destroyed. (k) No records shall be destroyed pursuant to this section if the minor or another individual arrested or cited for the same offense has filed a civil action against the peace officers, law enforcement agency, or probation officer that made the arrest, issued the citation, or commenced the proceedings and if the agency or officer that is the custodian of those records has received a certified copy of the complaint in the civil action, until the civil action has been resolved. Any records sealed pursuant to this section by the court in the civil action, upon a showing of good cause, may be opened and submitted into evidence. The records shall be confidential and shall be available for inspection only by the court, jury, parties, counsel for the parties, and any other person authorized by the court. Immediately following the final resolution of the civil action, records subject to this section shall be sealed and destroyed pursuant to this section. (l) Any relief that is available to a minor under this section for an arrest or citation shall also be available for a minor who is taken into temporary custody and then released pursuant to Sections 625 and 626. (m) This section shall not apply to any offense that is classified as an infraction. (n) (1) This section shall be repealed on the effective date of a final judgment based on a claim under the California or United States Constitution holding that evidence that is relevant, reliable, and material may not be considered for purposes of a judicial determination of factual innocence under this section. For purposes of this subdivision, a judgment by the appellate division of a superior court is a final judgment if it is published and if it is not reviewed on appeal by a court of appeal. A judgment of a court of appeal is a final judgment if it is published and if it is not reviewed by the California Supreme Court. (2) Any decision referred to in this subdivision shall be stayed pending appeal. (3) If not otherwise appealed by a party to the action, any decision referred to in this subdivision that is a judgment by the appellate division of the superior court, shall be appealed by the Attorney General. 782. A judge of the juvenile court in which a petition was filed, at any time before the minor reaches the age of 21 years, may dismiss the petition or may set aside the findings and dismiss the petition if the court finds that the interests of justice and the welfare of the minor require such dismissal, or if it finds that the minor is not in need of treatment or rehabilitation. The court shall have jurisdiction to order such dismissal or setting aside of the findings and dismissal regardless of whether the minor is, at the time of such order, a ward or dependent child of the court. 783. An adjudication that a minor violated any of the provisions enumerated in subdivision (d) of Section 13202.5 of the Vehicle Code shall be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles at its office in Sacramento within 10 days of the adjudication pursuant to Section 1803 of the Vehicle Code. 784. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon any adjudication that a minor violated any provision of law for which a report would be required under Section 1803 of the Vehicle Code, including any determination that because of the act the minor is a person described in Section 601 or 602 or that a program of supervision should be instituted for the minor, the clerk shall, not more than 30 days after the violation and in no case later than 10 days after the adjudication, prepare an abstract of the record, certify the abstract to be true and correct, and immediately forward the abstract to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The record shall be a public record subject to disclosure in the same manner as reports made under Section 1803 of the Vehicle Code. 785. (a) Where a minor is a ward of the juvenile court, the wardship did not result in the minor's commitment to the Youth Authority, and the minor is found not to be a fit and proper subject to be dealt with under the juvenile court law with respect to a subsequent allegation of criminal conduct, any parent or other person having an interest in the minor, or the minor, through a properly appointed guardian, the prosecuting attorney, or probation officer, may petition the court in the same action in which the minor was found to be a ward of the juvenile court for a hearing for an order to terminate or modify the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. The court shall order that a hearing be held and shall give prior notice, or cause prior notice to be given, to those persons and by the means prescribed by Sections 776 and 779, or where the means of giving notice is not prescribed by those sections, then by such means as the court prescribes. (b) The petition shall be verified and shall state why jurisdiction should be terminated or modified in concise language. (c) In determining whether or not the wardship shall terminate or be modified, the court shall be guided by the policies set forth in Section 202. (d) On and after January 1, 2012, at any hearing pursuant to this section involving a minor who was removed from the physical custody of his or her parent or guardian and placed in foster care at the time the court adjudged the child a delinquent ward, or who was removed from his or her parents or guardian and placed in foster care as a dependent child immediately prior to the court adjudging the child a delinquent ward, the court shall consider, as an alternative to terminating jurisdiction, whether to modify its jurisdiction and declare the minor to be a dependent child, pursuant to Section 300. If the court finds that the ward no longer requires delinquency supervision, but is at risk of abuse or neglect and cannot be returned home safely, the court shall set a hearing pursuant to Section 241.1 to determine whether a modification of its jurisdiction as described in subdivision (d) of Section 241.1 is appropriate. (e) On and after January 1, 2012, the court shall continue delinquency jurisdiction for a nonminor dependent, as defined in subdivision (v) of Section 11400, who is eligible to remain in foster care pursuant to Section 11403, unless the court finds that after reasonable and documented efforts, the nonminor cannot be located or does not wish to remain a nonminor dependent. In making this finding, the court shall ensure that the nonminor has been informed of his or her options, including the right to file a petition pursuant to Section 388 to resume delinquency jurisdiction, and has had an opportunity to confer with his or her counsel. As authorized in paragraph (e) of Section 1356.21 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the court shall authorize a trial period of departure from foster care as defined in subdivision (y) of Section 11400. In order to ensure eligibility for federal financial participation, the court shall set the end date of the trial period of departure from foster care to be the day before the nonminor attains 21 years of age unless it is not in the nonminor's best interests. (f) In addition to its authority under this chapter, the Judicial Council shall adopt rules providing criteria for the consideration of the juvenile court in determining whether or not to terminate or modify jurisdiction pursuant to this section.