The collateral consequences of a criminal or juvenile delinquency record significantly affects the defendant or respondent for the rest of his or her life. An unsealed or unexpunged court file involving even a minor offense may preclude or impede employment possibilities, governmental benefits and professional or recreational licenses. (Expungement entails the destruction of records, while sealing maintains the records but generally precludes access.) The consequences affect the young disproportionally. A finding that an immature adolescent has committed a misdemeanor, a non-criminal status offense, or a non-violent felony establishes a harmful record which persists throughout adulthood.