7.5(bb)
FOIAMade confidential by the Juvenile Court Act
Made confidential by the Juvenile Court Act
Read the full statute text on /statutes →
Jump to the 6 issues decided under this provision, with a drafting brief ↓
2 upheld (no violation found) · 0 rejected (violation found) · 1 partial violation · 2 closed / insufficient info / other, out of 5 documents.
Not legal advice, and not a per-exemption ruling — this reflects each document's overall disposition. See the FAQ disclaimer.
How the Public Access Counselor has treated 7.5(bb)
Section 7.5(bb) applies to records that another Illinois law prohibits from disclosure. In these matters it was used for juvenile law enforcement records protected by the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, including incident reports, related video footage, and School Absentee Reports concerning minors taken into custody or limited custody. Disclosure of such records is generally allowed only by court order.
The Public Access Counselor generally agreed that police departments and sheriffs could withhold qualifying juvenile records, including when requested by a parent and when the subject was deceased. In one matter, however, it found a partial violation where a department withheld an entire incident report solely because juvenile suspects were involved, indicating the exemption must be applied to the records actually covered rather than used as a blanket withholding.
At a glance: 5 documents from 2021(0 binding opinions, 5 determination letters). Most often cited alongside: 7(1)(a) (Confidential under other federal or State law) (1); 7(1)(d)(iv) (Would disclose a confidential source or informant) (1).
Recurring issues
- Whether an entire police incident report may be withheld solely because juvenile suspects are mentioned in it. (Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf course, A police incident report involving a juvenile, Police reports, body camera footage, and dispatch calls involving a juvenile)
- Whether a parent may obtain a police report about an incident involving her own child when juvenile confidentiality applies. (A police incident report involving a juvenile)
- Whether video footage related to a juvenile case is covered along with written police records. (Police reports, body camera footage, and dispatch calls involving a juvenile)
- Whether School Absentee Reports are records relating to minors taken into custody or limited custody. (Police school absentee reports on minors)
- Whether juvenile law enforcement records become disclosable after the subject of the records has died. (Juvenile criminal history records of a deceased individual)
Practical points
- A public body should review the report to identify the portion actually protected by juvenile confidentiality rather than withholding the entire report because juveniles are involved.
- A requester seeking juvenile law enforcement records will generally need to seek a court order authorizing disclosure.
- The death of the juvenile subject does not by itself remove the confidentiality protection.
Summary drafted from the linked decisions and checked against them; read the decisions themselves before relying on it. Not legal advice.
All 5 documents citing 7.5(bb)
- Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf courseDetermination letter · Partial violation
Improperly withheld records in part
- A police incident report involving a juvenileDetermination letter · No violation
No violation found
- Police reports, body camera footage, and dispatch calls involving a juvenileDetermination letter · No violation
No violation found
- Police school absentee reports on minorsDetermination letter · Closed no further action
No violation found
- Juvenile criminal history records of a deceased individualDetermination letter · Closed no further action
Closed, no further action
Issues decided under 7.5(bb)
Individual questions the Public Access Bureau decided under this provision, with the rule it applied, grouped by outcome. Extracted automatically from the letters; check each source letter.
6 issues across 6 determination letters:2 violation found · 4 no violation.
Counts are per issue, not per letter, and come from automated extraction checked against sampled letters. Determination letters are not binding precedent.
Authorities the Bureau cites most on this issue
- NBC Subsidiary (WMAQ-TV) LLC v. Chicago Police Department, 2019 IL App (1st) 181426 cited 2 times
- Police reports of an incident at a high school (Pub. Acc. Op. No. 23-010) cited 1 times
- An accident report involving a minor passenger (Pub. Acc. Op. No. 18-016) cited 1 times
- Investigatory records on a minor's shooting death (Pub. Acc. Op. No. 12-012) cited 1 times
- Southern Illinoisan v. Illinois Department of Public Health, 218 Ill. 2d 390, 844 N.E.2d 1 (2006) cited 1 times
- Lieber v. Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, 176 Ill. 2d 401, 407 (1997) cited 1 times
How to challenge a denial on this issue
AI-generated summary of the decisions listed on this page, with each point linked to the letters it comes from. Determination letters are not binding precedent and this is not legal advice. Open the letter and check the PDF before relying on any point.
When a challenge is strong
- Requester is the parent of the juvenile who is the subject of the records, seeking records about their own child. Under the Juvenile Court Act, a parent of a juvenile subject may access portions of juvenile law enforcement records concerning their own child, with other minors' identifying information redacted.Based on: 2021 · Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf c…
- The records relate to a minor's traffic citation and the public body has not proven they are confidential juvenile law enforcement records. The public body must show the records meet the Juvenile Court Act definition of confidential juvenile law enforcement records; failing that, the exemption does not apply.Based on: 2019 · Police reports, video, body camera footage, and…
When the public body usually wins
- Requester is the parent of a minor victim and the suspect is also a minor. The Juvenile Court Act prohibits disclosure of juvenile law enforcement records to a minor victim's parent when the suspect is a minor.Based on: A police incident report involving a juvenile
- Requester is a member of the general public seeking juvenile law enforcement records (e.g., criminal history, investigation records). The Juvenile Court Act bars disclosure of juvenile law enforcement records to the general public, even with redactions, and this applies to deceased minors.Based on: Juvenile criminal history records of a deceased… · Police school absentee reports on minors
- Records document an investigation of a minor, even if they also concern an adult, and the requester is not the parent of the juvenile subject. Such records are confidential juvenile law enforcement records and must be withheld in full, regardless of any adult involvement.Based on: Police reports, body camera footage, and dispat…
Points to put in your letter
- If you are the parent of the juvenile who is the subject of the records, state that the Juvenile Court Act allows a parent access to portions concerning your own child, with other minors' identifying information redacted.Based on: 2021 · Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf c…
- If the records involve a minor's traffic citation, argue that the public body has not shown these are confidential juvenile law enforcement records under the Juvenile Court Act, and that mere involvement of a minor is not enough.Based on: 2019 · Police reports, video, body camera footage, and…
Common mistakes
- Assuming a parent of a minor victim can access juvenile law enforcement records when the suspect is also a minor.Based on: A police incident report involving a juvenile · 2021 · Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf c…
- Thinking that confidentiality of juvenile law enforcement records ends upon the minor's death.Based on: Juvenile criminal history records of a deceased…
- Assuming any record mentioning a minor is exempt without checking if it qualifies as a juvenile law enforcement record (e.g., a traffic citation may not be).Based on: 2019 · Police reports, video, body camera footage, and…
Facts to gather first
- Your relationship to the juvenile (e.g., parent of the subject, parent of a victim, general public).
- The type of record (e.g., incident report, traffic citation).
- Whether the juvenile was taken into custody or is the subject of an investigation.
- The ages of any suspect(s) and victim(s).
These patterns are drawn from non-binding determination letters and turn on specific facts; verify the PDFs for full context.
Drafting brief for an AI assistant
Copy this into your assistant to help draft a request, appeal, or challenge to a denial that turns on this issue. It carries the rules and decisions, not your facts: add those yourself. Machine-readable version: foia-7-5-bb.json.
Violation found (2)
Withholding entire incident report under JCA exemption
Rule: A parent of a juvenile subject may access portions of juvenile law enforcement records concerning their own child, with other minors' identifying information redacted.
Violation found Police reports on juvenile suspects at a golf course · August 24, 2021
Denial of records under FOIA exemption 7.5(bb) and JCA confidentiality
Rule: The Sheriff's Office failed to prove that records related to a minor's traffic citation are confidential juvenile law enforcement records under the JCA, so the exemption did not apply.
Violation found Police reports, video, body camera footage, and 9-1-1 calls about an accident · August 20, 2019
No violation (4)
Denial of juvenile criminal history records under FOIA
Rule: The JCA prohibits disclosure of juvenile law enforcement records to the general public, even if redacted, and this applies to deceased minors.
No violation Juvenile criminal history records of a deceased individual · January 8, 2025
CPD denial of School Absentee Reports under section 7.5(bb)
Rule: Section 7.5(bb) exempts information prohibited from disclosure by the Juvenile Court Act, which bars disclosure of law enforcement records relating to minors taken into custody or limited custody.
No violation Police school absentee reports on minors · December 16, 2024
Withholding records under JCA confidentiality exemption
Rule: Records documenting investigation of a minor are confidential juvenile law enforcement records and must be withheld in full, even if they also concern an adult.
No violation Police reports, body camera footage, and dispatch calls involving a juvenile · June 20, 2024
Denial of juvenile law enforcement report to victim's parent
Rule: The JCA prohibits disclosure of juvenile law enforcement records to a minor victim's parent when the suspect is also a minor, so the City properly withheld the report.
No violation A police incident report involving a juvenile · March 27, 2025