does my son need an expungement for a juvenile offense?

In NJ, as in all other states, juvenile proceedings are not criminal in nature, but intended to facilitate the rehabiliatation of the juvenile. The proceedings are not part of a criminal record, unless the juvenile (as an adult) continues to be charged with crimes or other offenses under the criminal code. While the records are not public, the records continue to be maintained in the juvenile record bureau of the police and the courts unless the are expunged.

Under most circumstances, the records are not visible to anone (like an employer) asking about a criminal record during a background check. An expungement takes the juvenile records and further seperates them from view, by seperating them into a secured facility. The records are not destroyed. They are seperated and stored, and may in fact be viewed by the government under certain circumstances.

The expungement process is initiated by formal petition to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, typically in the county in which the juvenile charges were originally filed. The process will take about 3 months from the time the petition is filed. If you have specific questions about the process, I suggest you contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer in your state to discuss this further.