How juvenile court actually works.
Juvenile court is a separate system with its own vocabulary, and the words matter because they signal how differently it operates. A young person is not charged, they have a petition filed against them. There is no guilty verdict; a petition is sustained. There is no sentence; there is a disposition. There is no jury, and the judge decides everything.
The purpose is different too. Delinquency proceedings under Welfare and Institutions Code 602 are framed around rehabilitation rather than punishment, which genuinely changes what outcomes are available. Informal handling, diversion and deferred entry of judgment exist in forms that have no real equivalent in adult court, and they can end a matter without any finding at all.
The exception, and it is a large one, is transfer. Under Welfare and Institutions Code 707 the district attorney can move to have a case heard in adult court, where the rehabilitative framework does not apply and the exposure is entirely different. Where that motion is made, it becomes the case. Everything else waits.
Juvenile proceedings I handle.
These are the juvenile proceedings I handle across California.
How a case begins
- Delinquency petitions (Welfare and Institutions Code 602). The main jurisdiction, covering conduct that would be a crime if committed by an adult.
- Status offences (Welfare and Institutions Code 601). Truancy, curfew and running away, which are only offences because of the young person's age.
- Detention decisions (Welfare and Institutions Code 628). Whether a young person is released to a parent or held, decided quickly and before most of the evidence exists.
Contested proceedings
- Transfer to adult court (Welfare and Institutions Code 707). The motion to move a case out of juvenile court entirely. The most consequential hearing in this system.
- Jurisdiction and findings (Welfare and Institutions Code 725). What the court does once a petition is sustained, including the option of probation without a declaration of wardship.
- Wardship and placement (Welfare and Institutions Code 726). Governs removal from the home, which is the outcome families are usually most concerned about.
- Probation violations (Welfare and Institutions Code 777). How an existing disposition is changed, often on a lower standard than the original proceeding.
Alternatives to a sustained petition
These are the routes that avoid a finding altogether, and they are far more available here than in adult court.
- Informal supervision (Welfare and Institutions Code 654). Handling by the probation department without a petition being filed at all. Amended in 2024.
- Deferred entry of judgment (Welfare and Institutions Code 790). Allows a case to be dismissed on successful completion, without a sustained petition.
- Diversion programmes (Penal Code 1000). Where a matter has moved to adult court, the adult diversion framework may still apply.
After the case
- Sealing juvenile records (Welfare and Institutions Code 781). The route to closing the record afterwards. It is not automatic in every case. Amended in 2024.
- Registration consequences (Penal Code 290). Some sustained petitions carry registration obligations, which is not widely understood. Amended in 2024.
- Strike consequences (Penal Code 1192.7(c)). Certain sustained petitions count as strikes in adult court later.
If the school or the probation department has been in contact but no petition has been filed, that is the most useful moment to call. A great deal can be resolved informally, and informal routes close once a petition is filed.
What a sustained petition can cost.
The consequences are different from adult court, but they are real, and some of them last.
- Removal from home. Placement outside the home is the outcome families are most concerned about, and it is decided under Welfare and Institutions Code 726.
- Probation conditions. Search terms, curfews, electronic monitoring and school requirements, often for a long period.
- The record. Juvenile records are confidential rather than secret, and sealing under section 781 is not automatic in every case.
- Future strike exposure. Some sustained petitions count as strikes in adult court years later, which surprises almost everyone.
- Immigration. Delinquency findings are treated differently from adult convictions, but not always favourably, and this needs specific attention.
- School and college. Expulsion proceedings run separately and on a different timetable, and applications later can be affected.
Which of these apply depends on the allegation and on how the case is resolved. The alternatives that avoid a finding altogether are the ones worth pursuing first.
Why the early decisions matter most.
The early decisions are the ones that stick
Whether a matter is handled informally, whether a petition is filed at all, and whether the young person is detained are all decided quickly, before most of the evidence exists. Those decisions shape everything afterwards, and they are made whether or not anyone is there to influence them.
Young people talk to police, and to school staff
School resource officers, administrators and probation officers all conduct interviews, and the protections that apply are not always observed. Statements given by a young person without a parent or a lawyer present form the basis of a great many of these cases, and whether they are admissible is a real question.
Transfer changes everything and is contestable
A motion under section 707 turns on statutory criteria including maturity, circumstances and the possibility of rehabilitation. It is a genuine hearing with evidence, not a formality, and it is the single point where the most is at stake.
What experience with this system actually changes
It is knowing which matters a given county's probation department will handle informally, how transfer motions are actually litigated, and what the sealing requirements will look like years later. I have been doing this since 1999.
Whether hiring an attorney is worth it depends on where the matter is. For a first minor incident heading for informal handling, some families reasonably manage it themselves. Where a petition alleges a serious offence, where transfer is raised, where detention is sought, or where registration or future strike exposure is in play, the consequences run into adulthood. Call me and I will tell you which situation you are in, and what representation would cost.
How I defend juvenile cases.
- Getting in before the petition — working with probation while informal handling is still available, because it closes once a petition is filed.
- The detention hearing — arguing for release to a parent, which happens within days and sets the tone for everything after.
- Testing the case — whether statements were properly obtained, whether the search at school or elsewhere was lawful, and whether each allegation is supported.
- Opposing transfer — where a section 707 motion is made, with evidence going to maturity, circumstances and rehabilitation.
- Planning for sealing — structuring the resolution with the record in mind, rather than discovering the problem years later.
- Personal attention — you and your family work with us directly.
I have been licensed to practise in California since 1999, State Bar number 203402, and I appear in the juvenile courts of nine Northern California counties from offices in Sacramento and Roseville. When you call, tell me whether a petition has been filed yet.
Where I handle juvenile cases.
I appear in the juvenile courts of all nine counties below. Juvenile calendars are often heard separately from the adult criminal calendar, sometimes in a different building.
Sacramento County Placer County Yolo County El Dorado County San Joaquin County Butte County Yuba County Solano County Sutter County
Juvenile questions I hear most.
Is juvenile court the same as adult criminal court?
No. It uses different terminology, there is no jury, and the framework is built around rehabilitation rather than punishment. A petition is filed rather than charges, a petition is sustained rather than a guilty verdict returned, and there is a disposition rather than a sentence. The practical consequences of those differences are real.
Can a child be tried as an adult in California?
Only through a transfer hearing under Welfare and Institutions Code 707, where the district attorney must move for it and the court decides on statutory criteria including maturity, the circumstances of the offence and the possibility of rehabilitation. It is a contested hearing with evidence. Where transfer is sought it becomes the most important part of the case by a considerable margin.
The school questioned my child without telling me. Is that allowed?
School officials and resource officers do conduct interviews, and the rules that apply depend on who was asking, in what capacity, and whether the young person was in custody for legal purposes. Statements obtained this way form the basis of many juvenile cases, and whether they are admissible is frequently worth contesting.
Can a case be resolved without a finding against my child?
Often, yes. Informal supervision under Welfare and Institutions Code 654 handles a matter without a petition being filed, and deferred entry of judgment under section 790 allows dismissal on successful completion. These routes are more available here than in adult court, and they close as the case progresses.
Will a juvenile record be sealed automatically?
Not in every case. Sealing under Welfare and Institutions Code 781 has requirements, and some offences are excluded. Because it is easier to structure a resolution with sealing in mind than to fix the problem years later, it is worth raising at the outset. See record relief.
Can a juvenile finding count as a strike later?
Yes, in some circumstances. Certain sustained petitions count as strikes in adult court years afterwards, which lengthens exposure on any future case. This is one of the least understood consequences in the system — see violent crimes for how strikes work.
What does juvenile representation cost?
It depends on whether a petition has been filed, whether detention or transfer is at issue, and how the matter is likely to resolve. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything.
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