Juvenile Court

Juvenile Dependency | Juvenile Delinquency | Center for Families, Children & the Courts | Traffic Citations | Juvenile Council Brochures | Dress Code | Weapons Notification | Related Resources

When a child has committed a criminal act, the child is deemed a delinquent and may be made a ward of the juvenile court. The court's jurisdiction is usually over youths under the age of 18 years and may extend until the youth's 21st birthday. In certain cases, the wardship may extend until the age of 25 years. For a general overview of this process, click here.

The Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts' Center for Families, Children & the Courts was established to maximize the effectiveness of court services for children and families, to implement innovative court-related programs for them, and to promote those services in the legal community and to the public. Visit the Center's web site at: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/cfcc/.

For more general information about the juvenile court process, please consult the Judicial Council's informational brochures on juvenile delinquency and juvenile dependency. They are available free from http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/ or by calling the Publications Hotline at 800-900-5980.

The following is NOT appropriate dress for court appearances:

• Shorts
• Tank tops
• Halters or bare midriffs
• Mini-skirts
• Hair curlers or hats
• Bare feet
• Clothing with emblems that condone illegal or inappropriate activity
• Gang-related clothing

You will not be allowed in the courtroom unless you are appropriately dressed. Gum chewing is not permitted.

Penal Code 171(b) prohibits weapons in the building, including any firearms, deadly weapons, knives, tear gas, mace, tasers, stun guns, any instrument that expels a metallic projectile, or any spot marker or paint gun. If you refuse to submit to a search, you will be denied entry into the building.