Juvenile Court System: An Overview

The Juvenile Court has exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving minors under 18 years of age who violate federal, state or local laws including boating or traffic offenses if the minor is less than 16 years of age. If the juvenile in question is a licensed driver and commits a traffic offense their case will be heard at the municipal court where the offense occurred.

The juvenile court has the authority to issue search warrants, subpoenas or investigative subpoenas in all criminal juvenile cases.

A juvenile court proceeding is initiated by the filing of a petition (charging document). A preliminary inquiry is performed by the probation department and filed with the court. The juvenile is then required to appear before the court for a delinquency hearing. Parents or legal guardians of the juvenile must be present at this hearing unless previously excused by the judge. If a parent or legal guarding does not appear then a Guardian ad litem will be appointed if the welfare of the juvenile is in question.

Although the charges may be criminal in nature the case shall be regarded as civil. What that means is that if convicted, the conviction is not considered a crime however prior juvenile convictions of theft, DUI, drugs and domestic violence can be used for the purpose of enhancements in subsequent cases.