Colleges Grapple With Applicants' Criminal Data, Including Juvenile Records

By Caitlin Peterkin

College is often a fresh start for students, but some have pasts that follow them.

Take, for instance, "S.D.," an 18-year-old man from Pennsylvania who wanted to go to Temple University. When he was 17, he put an image on a file-sharing network that resulted in his being charged in juvenile court with one count of disseminating child pornography.

Under the state's Juvenile Act, courts must notify schools of juvenile offenses by any student. Since the law was enacted, in 2008,