What are the stages of processing a delinquency case in the juvenile justice system?
Prosecutors may file certain cases directly in criminal court In more than half of the states, the legislature has decided that, in certain cases (generally those involving serious offenses), juveniles should be tried as criminal offenders. The law excludes such cases from juvenile court; prosecutors must file them in criminal court. In a smaller number of states, the legislature has given both the juvenile and adult courts original jurisdiction in certain cases. Prosecutors, thus, have discretion to file such cases in either criminal court or juvenile court. After adjudication, probation staff prepare a disposition plan Once the juvenile is adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court, probation staff develop a disposition plan. To prepare this plan, probation staff assess the youth and available support systems and programs. The court may also order psychological evaluations, diagnostic tests, or a period of confinement in a diagnostic facility. At the disposition hearing, probation staf
