The Legal Aid Society has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of three New Yorkers against the NYPD, accusing the department of accessing and using sealed juvenile records of thousands of young New Yorkers illegally.

It says the NYPD has been illegally accessing, using and disclosing sealed arrest-related records of youth ages 7 through 17.

The lawsuit states that police are marking, tracking and punishing thousands of New Yorkers arrested as children – and could affect their ability to carry on with their adult lives.

The Legal Aid Society says Black and Latinx youth records are routinely accessed.

News 12 spoke with Emma-Lee Clinger of the Legal Aid Society who said a majority of adolescents' cases that end up unsealed by the NYPD resulted in "not guilty" findings, saying their effort protects young people’s futures.

She said it’s important that sealed records don’t “come back to haunt” those who were arrested as adolescence.

News 12 reached out to the NYPD but they declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation.