| Nowadays, countless children are appealing in | | | | After the first couple of steps are completed, the |
| courtrooms for criminal behaviors. Parents areasking | | | | "detention hearing" takes place. During thisprocedure, it |
| everyday what is the best legal advice for their | | | | is up to the arresting officer to decide if the child will be |
| children's cases. When a child is accused of acriminal | | | | released to the custody of theparents or held in |
| act, he is first arrested and then taken to a juvenile | | | | detention. The next phase is known the "intake |
| criminal court. The difference betweenadult court and | | | | decision," where the case isconsidered a "petition" |
| juvenile courts is that the parties at the defense table | | | | case or "non-petitioned" case. If the case is handled |
| include parents, children, and aprobation officer. The | | | | under the non-petitionrule, then the deciding officers, |
| parties will sit at a wooden table to discuss the | | | | probation officers, and so forth have decided that the |
| charges and what the courtsshould do to penalize the | | | | case can behandled without going through normal |
| child. | | | | court proceedings. |
| The summons is the "legal" documentation that is sent | | | | The next phase may include a conference, and this will |
| to the parents from the onset of the charge,thus | | | | move onto the plea bargaining phase. Once aplea |
| requesting that both parent and child appear before a | | | | bargaining conference begins and no plea is offered, |
| judge. During the "intake"--or else thefirst hearing--the | | | | the child and other parties will appear in an |
| child attends; whereas the child is referred by the | | | | "adjudicatory hearing," where evidence is presented. |
| arresting officers to attend. Fewtimes, other sources | | | | While this is a brief set of steps, it is certainlyenough to |
| such as parents, teachers, store owners or others will | | | | provide an insight of what you will go through if your |
| request a "referral" of thechild, which summed up is the | | | | child has been petitioned to courts. |
| "arrest." | | | | |