What Happens When a Juvenile Breaks the Law?

Typically a juvenile will not be – it’s very rare that they will actually be arrested and taken into what we call secure custody. If it’s a misdemeanor or a relatively low level felony and that juvenile has not ever been in the juvenile court system before and doesn’t have the history of being in trouble most likely they won’t be arrested. They will be noticed to come to court with their parents. If it’s a very serious felony or that juvenile has been in trouble several times, then the court can certainly issue what’s called a secure custody order and have that juvenile taken to a juvenile detention facility.