Opinion ID: 782814
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Juvenile Delinquency Act Records Requirement and Jurisdiction

Text: 11 The Juvenile Delinquency Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 5031-42, requires that, prior to a juvenile's transfer to adult prosecution, the prior juvenile court records must be received by the court: 12 A juvenile shall not be transferred to adult prosecution nor shall a hearing be held under section 5037 (disposition after a finding of juvenile delinquency) until any prior juvenile court records of such juvenile have been received by the court, or the clerk of the juvenile court has certified in writing that the juvenile has no prior record, or that the juvenile's record is unavailable and why it is unavailable. 13 18 U.S.C. § 5032. We have held this requirement to be jurisdictional. See United States v. Ceja-Prado, 333 F.3d 1046, 2003 WL 21460868, at  (9th Cir. Jun.25, 2003) (citing United States v. Doe, 170 F.3d 1162, 1165 (9th Cir.1999)); United States v. Doe, 13 F.3d 302, 304 (9th Cir.1993). 2 14 It is undisputed that the district court never obtained J.R.'s official juvenile records from Arizona and only heard about the records through testimony. It is also undisputed that J.R.'s tribal records were presented only in the form of a one-page summary. The United States argues that these summaries and testimonies regarding the record were adequate and that requiring the clerk's copy of the record would be elevating form over substance. This argument is entirely without merit. By stating that the court records must be received, the statute clearly contemplates that the court should receive documentary evidence. Where this is not available or where there is no record, the clerk must so certify in writing. Requiring an official documentary record, rather than a description of the record prepared by prosecution witnesses, also comports with common sense. The official record will provide a more detailed, thorough, and accurate explanation of any previous charges and convictions and will be the most reliable source for such information. In contrast, the prosecution's testimony is much less reliable given both the nature of testimonial as opposed to documentary evidence and the prosecution's motivation to omit particular details about the prior record. We have previously required that only an official record, certified by the clerk of court, be admitted. See, Doe, 13 F.3d at 304 (dismissing prosecution both because records were tardy and because they were certified by an Assistant United States Attorney rather than by clerk of juvenile court). The district court was required to receive J.R.'s official juvenile records prior to transferring him for prosecution as an adult.