Friday 30 October 2026
Did you receive a caution or have criminal charges dismissed in the Children’s Court of NSW between August 2009 and March 2026?
An error has been found that may have impacted you in future cases. Find out more below or call us on (02) 8303 6600.
What is the issue?
When a young person (under 18) is found not guilty of an offence, or their case is dismissed with or without caution, the Children’s Court is meant to order NSW Police to destroy any fingerprints, photos and palm-prints they have taken.
Some of these orders were not made until very recently. As a result, police held onto some identifying data that should have been destroyed.
Some of that data may have been used to identify and prosecute people for further offences, and this shouldn’t have happened.
Who does this affect?
This may affect you if:
☑ you faced criminal charges in the Children’s Court of NSW
☑ you attended court between August 2009 and March 2026
☑ your charges were dismissed with or without caution by the Court or you were found not guilty
☑ you faced other criminal charges later on where the fingerprint evidence may have been used against you.
If you tick all of the boxes above, please call us so we can check if this issue impacted you in any future criminal cases.
Contact the ALS
If you tick the boxes above, please call us on (02) 8303 6600.
We can look into your matters to see if this affects you and what should happen next.
Please note: the ALS can only help Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. If you are non-Indigenous, you can visit the Children’s Court website or call the Youth Hotline on 1800 10 18 10.
