NCJ Number
75098
Date Published
1979
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Background information on the handling of juvenile and family court cases in Oklahoma is presented in this resource book question-and-answer format for teachers of citizenship courses at the secondary level.
Abstract
Since the statutory law providing for a system of juvenile courts in Oklahoma lacked many of the procedural safeguards demanded in the Constitution and articulated in the Supreme Court's 1967 Gault decision, a new juvenile code was instituted in the State in January 1969. The code guarantees a juvenile's rights to notice of charges, to counsel, to confrontation and cross-examination of witnesses, and to the privilege against self-incrimination. Children's and juvenile courts were abolished, but court clerks were required to keep a juvenile and family relations docket so that judges could still specialize in juvenile and family affairs. After the filing of a petition which sets forth the facts bringing a child under the jurisdiction of the new code, a summons is issued to the person having control over the child. The summons includes the information contained in the petition as well as a review of the rights of the parties concerned. An adjudicatory hearing determines the facts of the case, and a dispositional hearing decides its outcome. Hearing transcripts are kept as in other cases, although both the hearings and the transcripts are private unless the judge decides otherwise. The Court Related and Community Services Division of the welfare department is responsible for court intake, while the district attorney prepares necessary legal documents. Through a certification process, juveniles under 18 years of age who have committed felonies can be tried as adults. Any court decisions affecting juveniles can be appealed. A glossary of terms is provided.