How can a juvenile record affect sentencing later in adult criminal court?

In the United States, the notion that juvenile offenders receive a "fresh start" with a clean record upon reaching adulthood has been undermined by changes in legal policy. Many states have incorporated juvenile records into the sentencing guidelines used in adult criminal courts.1

As a result, an adult offender who possesses a prior juvenile record may receive a longer sentence for a crime than an offender who does not have such a record. This practice reflects a broader trend toward more stringent legal measures intended to deter crime, which has increasingly blurred the traditional separation between the juvenile and adult justice systems.1