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Historical Overview
The Juvenile Delinquency Court is an integral part of the juvenile justice system. The term juvenile justice system is generally used to describe the juvenile court and other public and private community and state agencies and organizations which deal with children who may fall within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
As an introduction to the juvenile justice system, and the delinquency court in particular, it should be noted that the juvenile court's origins date back to the turn of the century. The first juvenile court in the United States was a creation of the Illinois legislature in 1899. At that time, the court's goals were primarily humanitarian in nature in that the government was allowed to intervene and, if necessary, supplant natural family relations whenever a child's welfare was at stake. The court's attitude was parental in nature, focusing on the minor's underlying problems rather than any specific delinquent acts alleged. Court procedures were informal, and the overall intent of the proceedings was to ensure the minor's "best interest" with the imposition of traditional family values as the guiding principle.
In 1903, California became the seventh state to enact a juvenile court act, which provided for separate court jurisdiction and hearings over dependent, neglected and delinquent children under the age of 16. In 1909, a juvenile court law was enacted that created a separate juvenile court, raised the age limit to 18 years and enumerated 16 areas of court jurisdiction. Juvenile court law remained basically unchanged until 1961.
The Governor of California had created a Special Study Commission in 1957, and the commission's 1960 report formed the basis for a major revision of California juvenile court law in 1961. The work of the Governor's Special Study Commission anticipated the major changes in the juvenile system which were brought about by the United States Supreme Court, beginning with its landmark decision, In re Gault (1967).
In 1977, major legislation was enacted reflecting a compromise between those who wished to entirely eliminate juvenile court jurisdiction over status offenders (truants, runaways, etc.) and those who wanted to criminalize the juvenile court process as it related to delinquents charged with serious offenses. A major result of the 1977 legislative revisions was to make delinquency cases quasi-criminal in nature.
Currently, Juvenile Delinquency courts located at ten sites throughout Los Angeles County hear cases involving both status offenders and minors who are alleged to have broken the law. During 1999, nearly 27,000 petitions were filed in the delinquency court. Juvenile Delinquency Court calendars in the County now average close to 80 petition filings per judicial officer per month. The sheer size of these calendars has had a major impact on the juvenile justice system.
Having undergone only minor expansion over the past five years, the Juvenile Court has dealt with the increasing number of cases by implementing innovative programs developed through the cooperative efforts of all agencies involved in the Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice System. Examples of such efforts include the Pre-Plea program, the Victim/Offender Restitution Services (VORS), the Cite-In Program, New Beginnings/New Transitions (SB1095) and the establishment of the first Juvenile Drug Court. Each program was designed not only to enable the judiciary to handle the increasing caseload, but also to better serve the needs of the youth brought before the court.
Past innovative programs have all had a positive effect on the functioning of the court. However, they have not addressed the growing concern of deterring minors, particularly at-risk youth, from ever reaching juvenile court.
The Juvenile Court continues to give its full support and cooperation to the concerted efforts of juvenile justice system members to reach those youth in the county who are most likely to find themselves in delinquency court in the future. Programs involving education, diversion, parenting and multi-agency approaches highlighted the Court's full commitment to supporting a wide range of community and social services intended to head off the types of problems which take youth from an "at risk' stage to that of full-scale delinquent.
There are three (3) Juvenile Halls: Eastlake, Los Padrinos and San Fernando Valley where approximately 2,000 youths reside pending further court action or transfer to another facility. Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officers are the custodians and are also responsible for the transportation of minor. The Sheriff's Department transfers those minors who have been determined as "Unfit" for Juvenile Court and are ordered to be housed at County Jail. Note: not all "Unfit" minors are housed in County Jail.
In 1996, 29,044 petitions were filed by the District Attorney's office with approximately 27% of the offenses being categorized as Serious Felonies. There were 993 Fitness hearings conducted of which 80% were found Unfit to be tried in Juvenile Court and were bound over to Criminal Court (Data provided by the District Attorney's office). Effective March 8, 2000, Proposition 21, which removes some aspects of judicial and Probation Department discretion, was passed by California voters. Although it is too early to assess the impact that this proposition will have on the juvenile justice system, this law allows for direct filing of juvenile cases in the adult court and is aimed primarily at criminal gang activity.
The Office of the Public Defender represents approximately 65 -70% of minors who commit offenses. The remainder are represented by attorneys who have contracted to provide legal services to youths in the juvenile courts throughout Los Angeles County.
Probation is in charge of running 19 camps with a bed capacity for 2,125 minors. The average length of camp programs is 23.8 weeks. The average of the population is 15.7 years. The ethnic breakdown is approximately 56% Hispanic; 29% African-American and the remaining 15% are of various ethnicities. Minors are housed at one of the Juvenile Halls pending placement in the appropriate camp. The Dorothy Kirby Center is a treatment center for emotionally disturbed youths.
Over 2,000 minors are removed from their homes to reside in a Suitable Placement facility. The homes can be foster or group homes, depending upon the appropriate type of setting necessary to maximize the services to be provided to ease the transition back into his or her home and community.
All camps and Halls accommodate schools which are maintained by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The typical reading level at admission is 5th grade with a math level at 6th grade. The teacher to student ratio is 1:17. The schools provide basic education and prepare students for GED testing, high school proficiency testing and SAT preparation. An annual "Operation Graduation" ceremony is observed to honor those students who have obtained their high school diplomas in a camp, hall or community school.
The California Youth Authority (CYA) is the most severe form of detention for youths and is equivalent to a State Prison sentence for adults. All minors are first processed at the Southern Reception Center-Clinic (SRCC) for various health and psychological tests which will determine which CYA facility in the State of California will provide the appropriate services and security for the minor.
Juvenile Delinquency Court Locations
Locations by Name |
Alfred J. McCourtney Juvenile Justice Center
1040 W. Avenue J, Lancaster, CA 93534
Compton Courthouse
200 West Compton Blvd., Compton, CA 90220
David V. Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center (Delinquency)
7625 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90001
Eastlake Juvenile Court Delinquency
1601 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Inglewood Juvenile Courthouse (Delinquency)
110 Regent Street, Inglewood, CA 90301
Long Beach Courthouse
415 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802
Los Padrinos Juvenile Courthouse (Delinquency)
7281 East Quill Drive, Downey, CA 90242
Pasadena Courthouse
300 East Walnut Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101
Pomona Courthouse South
400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona, CA 91766
Sylmar Juvenile Courthouse (Delinquency)
16350 Filbert Street, Sylmar, CA 91342
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