What is Probation?
"Probation" is a supervision program created
by law, which is ordered by the court in cases involving a
youth who has been found guilty of having committed a
delinquent act. Probation is a legal status in which the
freedom of the youth is limited and the youth’s activities
are restricted in lieu of commitment to the custody of the
Department of Juvenile Justice.
When a youth is placed on probation, he or
she must complete court-ordered sanctions and services. In
addition to the general conditions of probation, the youth
will need to comply with all special conditions deemed
appropriate by the court and with mandatory sanctions that
relate to the offense. For example, the youth may be ordered
to work community service hours and/or may be ordered to pay
money to the victim, if the victim was harmed or suffered
losses as a result of the crime. The youth may also be
ordered to submit to an evaluation and/or attend counseling,
or if the offense warrants, submit a biological specimen for
DNA testing.
As a special condition of probation the
youth may be ordered to abide by a curfew and/or to attend a
probation day treatment program. Day treatment programs
provide additional monitoring of juveniles and typically
offer an alternative educational setting. They also provide
additional services, such as anger management classes,
social skills building and substance abuse education.
Parental Responsibility
It is expected that the parent/guardian
assist and encourage the youth to fulfill the sanctions of
Probation.
Violation of Probation
When a youth is placed on probation, he or
she is assigned a Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO), who
monitors compliance with the court-ordered sanctions and
services. The court order also specifies that the child’s
parent/guardian "shall report violations of this order by
the child to the JPO and to the court". Therefore, the
Juvenile Probation Officer and the parent/guardian will work
together to enforce the court order.
If the youth violates the conditions of
probation or fails to complete the sanctions imposed by the
court, a Violation of Probation will be filed. If the court
finds that a violation of probation occurred it may revoke
probation and impose a sentence such as placement in a
Department of Juvenile Justice residential facility.
Commitment and Release
Upon release from a commitment program a
youth may be supervised on Post Commitment Probation or
Conditional Release. Both types of supervision require the
youth to adhere to specific conditions, similar to those of
probation.
Conditional Release supervision is
administrative in that the court does not get involved if
violations occur. These violations are handled through an
administrative hearing facilitated by department staff.
Violations of Post Commitment Probation are
handled in the same manner as violations of probation. Both
types of violations can result in re-commitment to a higher
restrictiveness residential program.
Local Juvenile Probation Office Contact Information
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