The Probation Department is in involved in several aspects of Juvenile Court proceedings. You and your child will be required to attend all hearings, unless your appearance is specifically waived by your child's attorney. You will receive information about hearings either in the mail or by phone.
Hearings before a Juvenile Court Judge will be at the Juvenile Courthouse.
Address:
9605 Kiefer Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95827
Phone: (916) 876-7753
Fax: (916) 875-5168
(Driving Directions)
http://www.saccourt.ca.gov/juvenile/juvenile-delinquency.aspx
Citation hearings occur at Probation Offices.
Address:
9603 Kiefer Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95827
(Driving Directions)
The First Hearing - Detention and/or Arraignment Hearings.
If your child is in-custody at the Juvenile Hall, they will have a detention hearing. If your child is out-of-custody, they will have an arraignment.
Detention Hearings
If your child is being detained in Juvenile Hall, there will be a detention hearing in no more than 72 hours from their booking date, counting only court business days. At the detention hearing, the Judge will determine if the in-custody minor will be kept at Juvenile Hall, released without restrictions or go home on electronic monitoring or home supervision while awaiting their trial.
The detention hearing also serves as the arraignment for the minor, where the court will read the charges against your child and appoint an attorney if you cannot afford one.
After your child is booked into Juvenile Hall, a Probation Officer will tell you and your child the date and time of their detention hearing. If you don’t know, you can call (916) 875-6996
Arraignments:
Your child will be arraigned in Juvenile Court if they were not detained at Juvenile Hall and if either the District Attorney has decided to charge your child with an offense, or if during a citation hearing before a Probation Officer, it was determined the offense was serious enough that it needed to be heard by a Juvenile Court Judge.
You will receive notification by phone and/or mail from Probation regarding your child’s court date for their arraignment.
The purpose of the arraignment hearing is to appoint an attorney for your child if you can not afford one and to read the petition containing the charges against the minor.
Settlement Conference:
In Sacramento County, the next hearing is a Settlement Conference. At this hearing, the youth’s defense attorney, the deputy district attorney and the judge attempt to resolve the case without the necessity of a trial. If the youth admits guilt, a dispositional hearing generally will be heard immediately, or will be set for 10 days later. If the youth does not admit guilt the case is scheduled for a jurisdictional hearing – a juvenile court trial.
Jurisdictional Hearing
If the minor does not admit responsibility, the case will be scheduled for a trial called a jurisdictional hearing. At this hearing, evidence and witness testimony are presented to the judge. There are no juries in Juvenile Court.
During the jurisdictional hearing, the deputy district attorney must prove the charges. Both the District Attorney and the Defense will have the opportunity to call witnesses, present evidence and cross examine witnesses.
If, at the conclusion of the jurisdictional hearing, the judge determines that the charge or charges are not true, the case is dismissed. If, on the other hand, the judge determines that the charge or charges are true, the case proceeds to a dispositional hearing – the time when the judge will impose punishment and treatment.
Dispositional Hearing
A disposition hearing is equivalent to a sentencing hearing in adult court. If the judge rules that your child committed the offense, then the judge will review the minor’s social study report that is prepared by the probation department in advance of the settlement conference. The judge will hear comments from both the minor’s attorney and the deputy district attorney. The judge may then hear comments from the minor’s parent or guardian as well as from the minor. On some occasions, victims and victims’ family members may make a statement.
The judge will decide how the minor will be rehabilitated, how he or she will repair the harm caused to the victim and the community, and what sort of punishment is necessary.
Conditions of Probation
Whether the minor admits responsibility or the judge determines after trial that the charges are true, dispositions may include community service, home supervision, electronic monitoring, counseling or treatment, restitution to the victim, court fines, and foster care. They may also include commitment to Juvenile Hall, the Sacramento County Boys Ranch, or the state Division of Juvenile Facilities. These requirements, along with others – such as attending school, drug testing, and obeying all laws – are court-ordered conditions of Probation.
Checking in at the Courthouse
Parents for both in-custody and out-of-custody minors must check in at the customer service window upon arrival to the courthouse. You will receive a pager and be directed to the appropriate courtroom. The pager will be used to alert you to any pre-conference with your child’s attorney prior to a hearing. The pager will also be used to alert you to the start of the hearing. A probation officer who serves as the court presenter will page you and then escort you into the courtroom when it is time for the hearing to begin.
There is a dress code and code of conduct for everyone who attends a hearing. Both your clothing and conduct display respect for the Court and show the Court that you take the case seriously. If attire and conduct are not in compliance with the Court rules, you will not be allowed in the courtroom, and your case will be rescheduled. At check in, you may receive a copy of an intake report on your child’s case to review.
While inside the courtroom all cell phones and pagers must be turned off.
After the hearing
Immediately following the hearing both parents, and out-of-custody minors will be directed to Window 1 – Probation. This is the located in the same area as court reception. The Probation Officer at the window will provide you information on the outcome of your hearing, answer questions and direct you on your next steps.
