Has anyone been approved/ denied a license with a juvenile record? (ca)

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Hello everyone,

I have a misdemeanor battery charge from when I was a juvenile (14). It has been 9 years since the incident and needless to say, I am a completely different person now than I was at 14. I would like to know if anyone has been approved or denied their license with a juvenile record and/ or a battery charge in California. (I know Cali is a lot stricter on records than most other states). I have all the necessary letters and documents. I just want to hear from anyone who has been through a similar situation to see if it is indeed possible to get licensed.

PS. To those of you who believe the myth that juvenile records are not seen by the board, that is not true! They conduct their background checks using FBI livescan and Cal DOJ and ANY time you have been arrested and fingerprinted it will show up. I have already done my own livescan and it shows up. The best policy is to disclose everything because they will see it anyways.

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Hi,

I'm actually going through this as we speak. I live in CA and just graduated in May. I really do not think they will deny you for a battery charge at age 14. I saw another thread on here about someone in CA who wasn't denied and they had a theft charge at age 17.

My case is that I have several juvenile charges including 2 battery charges at age 14 and three felony charges at age 17. Not drug related but never the less horrible.

Had I known what I know now, I would not have sacrificed all the time and effort into this career. I have not heard back from them but I'm sure I will be getting denied. I had called the board before and twice I told them my charges and both times they said I should be fine. I really don't think those people were at liberty to say so.

In any case, I think the best thing for you to do is to get your record sealed even though they will still need to know if livescan doesn't tell them already. I think this shows that the courts have deemed you fit for it to be sealed which makes it safer for the board to give you a license.

Again, I really don't think they're going to hold that charge against you. But please tell anyone you know in CA especially that if you have charges, especially DUI's, forget it. Find another career.

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Hi,

I'm actually going through this as we speak. I live in CA and just graduated in May. I really do not think they will deny you for a battery charge at age 14. I saw another thread on here about someone in CA who wasn't denied and they had a theft charge at age 17.

My case is that I have several juvenile charges including 2 battery charges at age 14 and three felony charges at age 17. Not drug related but never the less horrible.

Had I known what I know now, I would not have sacrificed all the time and effort into this career. I have not heard back from them but I'm sure I will be getting denied. I had called the board before and twice I told them my charges and both times they said I should be fine. I really don't think those people were at liberty to say so.

In any case, I think the best thing for you to do is to get your record sealed even though they will still need to know if livescan doesn't tell them already. I think this shows that the courts have deemed you fit for it to be sealed which makes it safer for the board to give you a license.

Again, I really don't think they're going to hold that charge against you. But please tell anyone you know in CA especially that if you have charges, especially DUI's, forget it. Find another career.

Hi MissR,

Sorry it took me so long to reply!

I don't think any reasonable person would deny someone their career because of a mistake they made when they were 14. But then again, from what I've heard, the board is very far from reasonable when it comes to nursing applicants with records. I've even spoken to a nurse who had a single misdemeanor DUI that was 10 years old and she got denied! For a 10 year old DUI! So even though I feel like I should be safe, I can't be sure after everything I've heard.

I really hope they overlook your juvenile record and allow you to get your license! It's so disheartening to know that the mistakes we made when we were young and dumb may prevent us from making the best of our futures.

I haven't spoken to the board personally, but I've heard that they will only say that they determine things on a case-by-case basis, so it's pointless trying to get any kind of reassurance from them.

I'm in the process of getting it sealed right now, it should be taken care of by the end of the year! And I agree with you, I also think it helps to show them that you are "rehabilitated".

For now, I'm holding on to a string of hope that they somehow look at juvenile offenses slightly more leniently than they do adult offenses, because from what I've heard about the way they deal with adult offenses, we have no chance.

Best of luck to you and PLEASE keep in touch! It would be very helpful to hear how they dealt with your case! :)

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