Juvenile Court Referrals and Custody Intakes

When a youth has committed a crime, law enforcement may send a juvenile referral to Youth Justice for review. If law enforcement believes the offense is serious and the youth poses a substantial risk to the community, they may contact the Youth Services Center (YSC) for consideration of a temporary physical custody (TPC) hold at the YSC or at Derrick’s House (shelter care facility). If a youth is held on a TPC, the youth will appear in front of the juvenile judge by the next business day. The parents of the youth will be notified of the custody intake hold and will be required to attend the court hearing. The court hearing information will be provided to the parents at the time of the custody hold.

Intake Inquiry

When a referral from law enforcement is sent to Youth Justice, an intake worker reviews the police report and the alleged offense(s). The intake worker will schedule a meeting with the youth and parent(s) to discuss the seriousness of the alleged delinquent act and youth’s history. A pre-screen Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) will be completed that provides the youth’s overall risk level. The risk level will assist in determining the results of the intake inquiry. The intake worker can dismiss the referral, hold the referral open, or refer it to the District Attorney’s Office for a filing of a petition. If the referral is dismissed, no further action is taken, and the case is closed. In that case, the intake worker will provide additional community based resources to the family, if needed. If the referral is held open, the youth agree to be placed on a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA).