Juvenile Records - Access by Baltimore City Mayor's Office
Summary
SB524 creates a targeted exception to Maryland’s juvenile-record confidentiality rules for three Baltimore City mayoral offices: the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success, and the Mayor’s Office of African American Male Engagement. Under the bill, those offices may access and confidentially use certain juvenile police and court records when they are providing programs or services to the child who is the subject of the record, and when the information is relevant to service delivery, treatment planning, rehabilitation, reentry planning, or continuity of care.
The bill requires safeguards before access is allowed. Each covered Baltimore City office must enter into a written memorandum of understanding with the disclosing agency, and must obtain express written consent from the child’s parent or guardian in a single document. The bill also makes the offices liable for unauthorized release of records they access under the new authority. The measure amends Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 3-8A-27 and is scheduled to take effect October 1, 2026, with a five-year sunset on September 30, 2031.
Impact
SB524 narrows the general prohibition on disclosure of juvenile police and court records by adding Baltimore City mayoral offices to the list of entities that may access those records under specified conditions. It does not broadly open juvenile files to the public; instead, it creates a limited, confidentiality-protected pathway for local government service providers to coordinate with juvenile justice agencies. The bill directly affects juvenile-record privacy law in the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article and imposes new procedural requirements and liability on the participating Baltimore City offices.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported in the legislature. It passed the Senate unanimously, 39-0, and later passed the House by a substantial margin, 91-34. The favorable committee report with amendments also suggests the proposal was acceptable to most lawmakers, likely because it was framed as a narrow, service-oriented exception rather than a general expansion of access to juvenile records.
Contention
The main policy tension in SB524 is between protecting the confidentiality of juvenile records and allowing city agencies to coordinate services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a way to improve treatment, rehabilitation, and reentry outcomes through better information sharing. Potential concerns center on privacy, the risk of unauthorized disclosure, and whether local executive offices should have access to sensitive juvenile records at all; the bill addresses those concerns by requiring written agreements, parental consent, confidentiality limits, and liability for improper release.