chapter 13

Question 1

juvenile court clients

Answer 1

delinquents (minors committed a crime)
status offenders (MINOS)
neglected, abused, abandoned

Question 2

judge

Answer 2

Central character in the court of juvenile or family law
Respond to community pressures
Must provide proper and necessary resources to ensure care
Judges lower on totem pole in terms of pristineness

Question 3

prosecutor

Answer 3

bringing the state’s case against the accused juvenile
some prosecutors can be the one to decide if the juvenile will be tried as an adult
has power to initiate or discontinue delinquency or status offense allegations

Question 4

public DA

Answer 4

represents children in juvenile court and plays an active role at all stages of the proceedings
declare if there’s sufficient evidence to warrant filing a formal petition

Question 5

private DA

Answer 5

paid out of pocket and more likely to have stronger relationships with clients

Question 6

guardian ad litem

Answer 6

ordinarily seen in abuse, neglect and dependency cases

court appointed guardian to represent a minor or unborn child in litigation for need or particular treatment

Question 7

CASA

Answer 7

court appointed special advocate
volunteers who advise the court about juvenile child placement
protect the rights to safe placement

Question 8

probation officers

Answer 8

involved in all four stages of the court process

Question 9

intake

Answer 9

3 options:
release the juvenile
place them under supervision
refer them elsewhere

Question 10

diversion (to community agency)

Answer 10

adjustment

treatment program before formal trial

Question 11

detention

Answer 11

taken into custody

released or released with a date to appear before court hearing

Question 12

petition filed

Answer 12

initiates formal action against a juvenile charged with delinquency or a status offense

Question 13

waiver hearing

Answer 13

transferring from juvenile to adult court, typically filed by a judge but sometime a prosecutor

Question 14

adjudication

Answer 14

hearing

Question 15

disposition

Answer 15

treatment best suited for the juvenile
community release
out of home placement
fines/ restitution
community service
institutionalization

Question 16

judicial waiver criteria

Answer 16

Offense type and seriousness
Offender prior record, age/ maturity level, amenability to treatment
Judicial policy merit of complaint

Question 17

indeterminate sentence

Answer 17

No fixed confined time

Release determined by correction agency OR reaching legal age (18/21)

Question 18

mandatory sentence

Answer 18

Part of “get tough policies (1980’s to 1990’s)
DOES NOT impose juvenile and adult sanctions for offenders adjudicated in either juvenile court or convicted in adult court.

Question 19

blended sentence

Answer 19

Part of “get tough policies (1980’s to 1990’s)

Impose juvenile and adult sentences on serious/ repeat offenders convicted in either juvenile or adult courts

Question 20

washington’s juvenile justice reform act 1977

Answer 20

Mandatory sentences proportional to age (8-17), offense type, and prior history
created an elaborated mandatory sentence system to punish adjudicated delinquents.

Question 21

juvenile court criticisms

Answer 21

overburdened (too many cases)

too soft/ too harsh