Juvenile Justice in California: Facts & Issues
Abused children - children who are victims of physical, sexual,
and/or emotional abuse or neglect
Adjudication - the court trial in juvenile court to determine
if the allegations listed in the petition are true
Admission - allegations in the petition are true; guilty plea
Aftercare - the special Probation Department or CYA program designated
to supervise minors during the balance of his/her time on probation
Allegation - legal charge, reason the children should be a ward/dependent
of the juvenile court
Alternative sentencing - an opportunity for the judge to provide
a rehabilitation program rather than incarceration
Child Advocate - a volunteer, court-appointed special advocate
Confidentiality - privacy of juvenile proceedings; security of
information not for public knowledge
Conflict attorney - court-appointed private counsel, also called
panel attorney, chosen from a list known as the "panel"
to represent youths with a conflict-of-interest with other parties
Court Officer - court-appointed person with special skills; e.g.
court mediator, court officer as social worker's representative
in court
Custody - secure custody is a place with locked entrances and exits; non-secure custody is without physical restraints
CYA - California Youth Authority, the state agency which operates
the state-run institutions and camps
Delinquency Court - juvenile criminal court
Delinquent - a juvenile apprehended as a result of misdemeanor or felony criminal conduct, law violator; in adult court, a criminal
Denial - allegation/s in the petition are not true; not-guilty plea
Dependency Court - juvenile protection court for victims of abuse, abandonment, or neglect
Dependent of the court - a minor determined to be under the jurisdiction of the court
Detention - the holding of a person picked up and in custody by law enforcement; in dependency court, the child is removed from home for protection; in delinquency court, the child is held pending court action
Detention hearing - the first hearing in the juvenile court process
Determinate Sentence - the specific period of confinement of a youth sent to an incarceration facility is dependent on the crime
Disposition - sentence
Diversion - the use of a non-justice, alternative program for selected first-time or minor offenders; a program directing the individual to participate in a work or educational plan in lieu of juvenile court proceedings
EMP - electronic monitoring program; an active or passive ankle-bracelet tracking system
Finding - court decision
Fitness hearing - process to determine whether a serious offender is fit for trial in juvenile court or for remand to adult court
Guardian ad Litem - volunteer appointed by the court to speak
for the child or legally incompetent person
Hearing - court appearance with a judge/judicial officer; juvenile trial
Incarceration - imprisonment; confinement to a locked, state facility
Indeterminate sentence - an unspecified time for minors to be held until deemed rehabilitated
Intervention - program for working with families to provide early services to change behavior and keep the child out of the justice system
JAI Number - Juvenile Automated Index number; the statewide, computer
index number
assigned to a juvenile when they first enter the justice system,
similar to CII for adults; data input includes arrests, pending
cases, convictions, conditions of parole, etc.
JJC - Juvenile Justice Commission; each county has this judicially-appointed, state-mandated commission to oversee county juvenile justice functions
Judicial officer - the judicial hearing officer who is not a judge, frequently called a referee or commissioner
Jurisdiction hearing - procedure to determine the court's authority over the minor
Legal guardianship - person, other than parents, given responsibility for the care of a child
Parens Patriae - the concept for juvenile court, the right of the state to act in the place of the parent
Parole - conditional release from incarceration after serving part of sentence, generally under supervision of a state parole officer
Permanency planning hearing - in dependency court, the final placement step to develop a long- term plan for a child who will not be returned to his/her family
Petition - legal document submitted to juvenile court containing
the allegations/s; in adult court, the complaint
Privatization - the transfer of control from a public agency to
the private sector
Probation - sentence releasing the minor into the community without imprisonment under supervision; a test period for good behavior
Probation Department - County department responsible for assessment, informal probation supervision, referral of court cases, management of juvenile hall and camps, and supervision of rehabilitation programs for probationers.
Remand - juvenile sent to superior court to be treated as an adult
Recidivism - pattern of repeated criminal behavior
SARB - School Attendance Review Board
Status offender - juvenile who has committed an act which is not
criminal behavior in an adult but is an offense for a juvenile:
runaways, truants, curfew violators, incorrigibles, youths beyond
the control of parents and/or school personnel
Termination of parental rights - legal ending of a parent's rights to a child, including custody, education, religious training, etc.
Ward of the court - minor under the legal guardianship of the
state
WIC - Welfare and Institutions Code, the portion of state law dealing with juvenile law
300's - abused or neglected children; victims, not offenders
601's - status offenders
602's - criminal offenders
654's - informal probationers, diverted for minor offense includes a written, contractual agreement with minor
707B's - remands; determined to be "unfit" for juvenile
court
YOPB - Youthful Offender Parole Board; politically-appointed state
juvenile parole agency
Juvenile Justice in California: Facts & Issues TOC