What happens when a juvenile has been arrested for committing a crime (delinquency)?
Juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17 may be charged with delinquencies. Law enforcement makes an initial decision about whether a crime has been committed. Some law violations, such as retail theft may be charged as a municipal violation. These cases are handled in municipal court rather than as formal delinquency charges in Circuit Court. For more serious crimes, juveniles are often taken to the Juvenile Reception Center (JRC) in the City County Building. Staff at JRC will make a decision whether to release a juvenile or to hold them in secure custody in detention. In many cases, youth are released by JRC – to their parents, to some other responsible adult, and sometimes even to themselves if they are old enough. It they are released from JRC, depending on the circumstances, they may be first placed under an order of non-secure custody. (This will be discussed under the Court Process section). For crimes not charged as a municipal violation, the law enforcement agency sends their i
