What is Juvenile Pre-trial conference and Trial?
A Pre-Trial Conference is an opportunity for the juvenile’s attorney, the State attorney and the Judge to discuss the status of the case and determine whether the case is near a resolution, needs to be continued to permit additional time for discovery, or should be set for trial. Some counties permit the juvenile to waive his/her appearance at Pre-Trial when represented by private counsel. Other jurisdictions don’t schedule cases for Pre Trial and set all matters for a general trial call. A juvenile trial, while unlikely or unnecessary in many cases, is generally much quicker than its adult counterpart, as there is no jury selection component.
