ADMJ 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Juvenile Court, Preliminary Hearing, Homicide
Document Summary
Juvenile petition - similar to criminal complaint. Alleges juvenile is delinquent, status offender, or dependent. Asks court to assume jurisdiction over juvenile or transfer alleged delinquent to criminal court for prosecution as adult. Most referrals to juvenile court come directly from law enforcement authorities. Detention hearing - investigates whether candidates for confinement represent clear and immediate danger to themselves and/or others. Conducted by juvenile court judge or by officer of the court. Substantial discretion - detention, diversion, or dismissal of some or all charges. Diverted juveniles may be sent to mental health facilities, job-training programs, educational counseling, drug-treatment programs or other community service agencies. Preliminary hearing - determines probable cause to believe juvenile committed alleged act. If completed, charges may be dropped at end. Transfer hearing - serious offenders may transfer to adult court. Consider 2 things: whether transfer statutes apply to the case under consideration, whether the juvenile is amenable to treatment through resources available to juvenile justice system.
