What can the Judge decide?
The Juvenile Judge has many options from dismissal to long-term confinement in a correctional facility. For certain felony offenses, a youth 14 or older can be certified to stand trial in the adult criminal court system. For other serious offenders, the Determinate Sentencing Law allows a juvenile to be confined up to 40 years, first in a Texas Youth Commission facility, followed by an optional court transfer to the prison system. For other less serious offenders who require confinement, the judge may order an Indeterminate Sentence to the Texas Youth Commission where the child may be held until his/her 21st birthday or placement in a private or a state residential treatment facility. In most cases the child is placed on probation to remain in their own home or placed with a relative. The court-ordered rules of probation demand school attendance, good conduct, drug testing, curfews and participation in specified programs, including community service and financial restitution. Probation
