Legal Ed 10/12/2010

Via Andrea Hicks: We had a great legal education session yesterday with Ashley Boles, 2nd Judicial District Juvenile Division Supervisor. Ashley was not only entertaining but he also taught us about the juvenile court structure and the problems their office handles.

The juvenile officers are county employees with an income supplement of 50% from the State. This results in each juvenile office operating differently. They are working towards standardization in the juvenile offices.

Juveniles that commit traffic offenses, underage DUI or Game & Fish violation are tried in District Court. Family in Need of Services (FINS) petitions are reported to the juvenile office. This includes non-criminal matters such as truancy, runaways, unruly kids, and children under the age of 10 that commit a crime, etc. Anyone can file a FINS petition with the juvenile office. Delinquency cases are juveniles age 10 to 18 that commit a crime. The penalties will vary depending on the circumstances of the juvenile. All juveniles will undergo a mental health assessment. Juveniles age 16 or above that commit a felony can be tried as an adult in Circuit Court.

Ashley also showed us the drugs and paraphernalia that have been confiscated from juveniles.