Juvenile Court System
How Underage Violators Are Processed
From State to State, case processing of juvenile law violators varies. Even within States, case processing may vary from community to community, reflecting local practice and tradition. Any description of juvenile justice processing in the United States must therefore be general, outlining a common series of decision points. Law Enforcement Agencies Divert Many Juvenile Offenders Out of the Justice System. At arrest, a decision is made either to send the matter further into the justice system or to divert the case out of the system, often into alternative programs. Generally, law enforcement agencies make this decision after talking to the…