Request For Records

Juvenile records in Texas are deemed confidential and may not be shared except as authorized by law. Pursuant to Texas Family Code § 58.007(b) the records, whether physical or electronic, of a juvenile court, a clerk of court, a juvenile probation department, or a prosecuting attorney relating to a child who is a party to a proceeding under this title may be inspected or copied only by:

  1. 1. The judge, probation officers, and professional staff or consultants of the court.
  2. 2. A juvenile justice agency in accordance with Texas Family Code § 58.101.
  3. 3. An attorney representing the child’s parent in a proceeding under this title
  4. 4. An attorney representing the child.
  5. 5. A prosecuting attorney.
  6. 6. An individual or entity to whom the child is referred for treatment or services, including assistance in transitioning the child to the community after the child’s release or discharge from a juvenile facility
  7. 7. A public or private agency or institution providing supervision of the child by arrangement of the juvenile court or having custody of the child under juvenile court order.
  8. 8. With permission from the juvenile court, any other individual, agency, or institution having a legitimate interest in the proceeding or in the work of the court.

An entity or individual that receives confidential information under this provision may not disclose or disseminate the information received unless otherwise granted by law. Only an attorney who is representing a parent in a Title 3 proceeding may have access to the records without first obtaining permission of the juvenile court.

An attorney representing the parent in another matter, such as divorce proceeding, may only have the records if the court determines the parent in that matter has a legitimate interest in the work of the court. Attorneys representing the child in other proceedings, such as immigration or even adult proceedings, are authorized to access the records under this provision.

El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department is not authorized to provide or disseminate any law enforcement records related to a juvenile case because the department does not have any lawful jurisdiction over those specific documents. The requester is encouraged to contact the arresting agency for further information


Types of Requests

Click a type of request to expand the instructions.

Because of the sensitive nature of the records maintained by the Department, only the following individuals may request records through the “Request for Juvenile Probation Department Records”:

  • individuals requesting their own records,
  • parent or guardian of the subject if the subject is still a minor,
  • a legal representative of the subject of the request,
  • or an individual with Power of Attorney (POA) for the subject of the request.
Instructions:
  1. Fill out the Request to Release Information form.
  2. Send it to the following email address: Juvenile Probation Records Request DG-JPD-RecordsRequest@epcountytx.gov, and attach the following items:
    1. Request to Release Information form.
    2. Valid State ID (picture required) of the requester.
    3. POA and/or legal representation documentation, if applicable.
  3. Information will be provided within five (5) business days of receipt.
Instructions:
  1. For all local Subpoenas, they must be served in person; otherwise, send the Subpoena to the following email address: Juvenile Probation Records Request DG-JPD-RecordsRequest@epcountytx.gov.
  2. The Department will forward the Subpoena to the JPD General Counsel.
  3. The JPD General Counsel will forward the subpoena to the County Attorney’s Civil Unit and will request that the Department forward the requested records to the Civil Unit within 2 to 3 business days for review.
  4. After receiving the subpoena and the requested records, the CA Civil Unit will advise the Department how to proceed.

A subpoena is a written court order that requires the production of documents or a court testimony. A subpoena must be served on the individual or agency ordered to appear. Law enforcement officers, court representatives, or process servers are required to serve the subpoena in-person.

This type of request is only to confirm or clarify case related information that the entity already possesses, such as, outcome dates, definitions, and/or clarifications.

Instructions:
  1. Send the request to the following email address: Juvenile Probation Records Request DG-JPD-RecordsRequest@epcountytx.gov.
  2. At Chief’s discretion, the answers will be provided to the requester.

This type of request is considered Public Information Act (PIA), examples: total number of referrals, total number of violent offenses, drug offenses, how many juveniles were detained during a specific timeframe.

Texas Government Code Chapter 552 (commonly referred to as the Public Information Act, PIA, or Open Records Act) gives you the right to access to government records. While government information is presumed to be available to the public, exceptions may apply to the disclosure of some information.

Instructions:
  1. Send the request to the following email address: JPD PIA Team DG-JPD-PIATeam@epcountytx.gov.
    • Please be specific on data being requested and timeframes.
  2. The corresponding parties will review the request and should provide the answer within 10 calendar days; if the request will take longer than 10 calendar days or needs clarification on the request being made, the department will notify you and provide and estimated time to provide the answer.