NCJ Number
208969
Date Published
April 2003
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This booklet describes the philosophy, mission, organization, and operation of Maryland's juvenile courts.
Abstract
Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City have juvenile courts, which are part of each county's circuit court. The goal of a juvenile court is to provide children and their parents the treatment and resources they need to stop cycles of delinquent behavior, end abuse and neglect, and provide needed medical care. The juvenile court handles cases that involve youth who are under age 18; this includes youth who were under age 18 at the time of the incident at issue but who become 18 before the case is adjudicated. Court jurisdiction continues until a youth is 21 years old. One type of case handled by a juvenile court is categorized as a "child in need of assistance," which is a juvenile who has been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused or neglected by someone responsible for his/her care. Another type of case is called a "child in need of supervision," which involves a juvenile who has committed an offense such as truancy, violation of curfew laws, running away, habitual disobedience, or ungovernable behavior. Other types of cases involve citations for violations of alcoholic beverage laws, running away across State lines either into or out of the State, violations of compulsory public school attendance, emergency medical treatment, termination of parental rights, adoptions, and delinquency. Other topics discussed are terms used in juvenile-court processing, steps in processing various types of cases, distinctive rules of the juvenile court, and media guidelines.