Juvenile Division

Juvenile cases can include both status and delinquent offenses. Status offenses are offenses where the child needs care, treatment, or rehabilitation that the child is not receiving, is unlikely to accept voluntarily, and is unlikely to be accepted without the coercive intervention of the court.

Status offenses include:

• Leaving Home without the Permission of a Parent ("runaway")
• Truancy
• Habitual Disobedience of a Parent ("incorrigibility")
• Curfew Violations
• Certain alcohol and fireworks offenses.

In comparison, delinquent offenses are those acts that would be a crime if committed by an adult.

The Juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over ordinance violations or infractions. There are also some times when a Court, upon the Prosecutor’s motion will waive jurisdiction from the Juvenile Court to a Court having adult jurisdiction. These situations are outlined in Indiana Code 31-30-3. Lastly, there are some offenses, where the child is sixteen (16) or older when the offense is committed, that are handled in adult Court; the Juvenile Court does not have jurisdiction over these cases. In addition to non-OWI misdemeanor traffic offenses under I.C. 31-30-1-1(8) & (9), these offenses are laid out in Indiana Code 31-30-1-4, and include:

• Attempted Murder
• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Rape
• Criminal Deviate Conduct
• Robbery while Armed with a Deadly Weapon
• Robbery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury
• Carjacking
• Carrying a Handgun without a License if charged as a felony
• Children and Firearms if charged as a felony

Once a report is submitted to our office, the assigned Deputy Prosecutor will screen that case to see if probable cause exists. From there, unless the juvenile has been taken into custody or has previously participated in a preliminary inquiry, our office will forward the report to the Cass County Juvenile Probation Department, and they will contact the parent(s), guardian(s), or custodian(s) of the child to schedule a Preliminary Inquiry. This is an informal investigation into the facts and circumstances reported to the Court and can include information on the child’s background, current status, and school performance. After this meeting, the Probation Officer will prepare and send a report to our office with a recommendation of how this matter should be handled. Ultimately, it is the prosecutor’s decision whether to follow the recommendation of the Probation Department or not. This process can take some time to complete. At that point, the State may choose (as an option) to file a delinquency petition (charges) against the child. If charges are filed, you will receive a copy of such along with a summons to appear in Juvenile Court.

The parties to a juvenile delinquency proceeding are:

1. The child;
2. The child’s parent(s), guardian(s) or custodian(s);
3. The Prosecuting Attorney.

Juvenile matters are confidential, and therefore we are not allowed to discuss them with anyone other than those two parties noted above.

1. To know of the nature of the allegations against him/her;
2. To be represented by counsel;
3. To confront all witnesses against him/her;
4. To cross-examine witnesses;
5. To obtain witnesses or tangible evidence by compulsory process;
6. To introduce evidence on his/her own behalf;
7. To refrain from testifying against himself/herself and the right to remain silent;
8. To have the State prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he/she committed the acts charged.

Under Indiana Code 31-32-2-6, a child may not be considered a criminal as the result of an adjudication in a juvenile court, nor may an adjudication in juvenile court be considered a conviction of a crime.

Upon a finding of delinquency (adjudication) by the Juvenile Court, the Court has the following dispositional alternatives, as noted in Indiana Code 31-37-19: