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Frequently Asked Questions

What will happen at the disposition hearing?
The judge will decide 1 of 6 things.
  • Your child may remain at home on probation supervision for up to 6 months.
  • Your child may be ordered home under the formal supervision of a probation officer. Formal supervision is set up by the judge.
  • Your child may be places on probation and ordered to live in a relative’s home, a private residential group home, or an institutional program.
  • Your child may be placed on probation and sent to a probation camp or ranch.
  • Your child may be committed to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). (But if your child is tried as an adult, the adult criminal court could sentence your child to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Adult Operations (see questions 19 and 20).
  • As a parent, you may be ordered to comply with conditions such as counseling or parent training.

Show All Answers

1. My child came home after being arrested. What will happen now?
2. My child was arrested and taken into custody. What can the arresting officer do?
3. If we get a Notice to Appear, what will happen at the meeting with the probation officer? What should I do?
4. Do I need a lawyer for myself?
5. Does my child need a lawyer?
6. My child’s probation officer told me that the district attorney will be filing a petition. What does that mean?
7. What will happen if my child is taken to juvenile hall after the arrest?
8. How long could my child have to stay in juvenile hall?
9. Can I visit my child in juvenile hall?
10. What is the role of the probation officer?
11. How will my child and I find out about the court hearings?
12. What hearings will my child go to in juvenile court?
13. What will happen at the jurisdiction hearing?
14. What will happen at the disposition hearing?
15. May I be present at the hearings?
16. May I speak at the hearings?
17. Do we have the right to an interpreter?
18. May the victim attend and speak at the disposition hearing?
19. When can my child be tried as an adult?
20. What felonies are likely to be tried in adult court?
21. Where will my child go if he or she is sent to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)?
22. When would my child go to the Division of Adult Operations instead of the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)?
23. Am I financially liable for my child’s acts?
24. Will I be required to pay my child’s fees?
25. Can my child’s juvenile records be sealed?
26. Can my child’s juvenile court record be used against him or her as an adult?
27. What should I do as a parent?