A call from the police about your child can leave you frozen. You want to know where your kid is, what happened and what to do next. Pennsylvania handles most cases involving minors in a separate court system, and knowing how it works can help you act with a clear head.
Your child will likely go through juvenile court
Most people under 18 charged with a crime in Pennsylvania start in juvenile court. It looks different from adult court. A judge decides the case, not a jury. The focus is on accountability and rehabilitation, so the system aims to correct behavior and keep a young person on track.
Hearings are usually closed to the public, though some cases involving older teens and serious charges can be open. Depending on the offense and the outcome, the record may qualify for expungement later. Even so, a juvenile case is serious, and the result can follow your child into school and work.
What happens in the first few days
After an arrest, police may release your child to you or send your child to a detention facility. If your child is held, a detention hearing must take place within 72 hours of placement. At that hearing, the judge decides whether your child goes home or stays in custody.
A juvenile probation officer usually meets with your child and family to review the case. From there, the case can go one of two ways. Some end without a formal finding through an informal adjustment or a consent decree, which usually come with conditions such as counseling or probation. Others go to an adjudicatory hearing, which works like a trial before a judge.
What you can do right away
The first few hours matter, and a few simple steps can protect your child:
- Find out where your child is and what the charge is. Call the police station or detention center and ask.
- Ask police to wait for a lawyer before asking questions. Your child has the right to remain silent.
- Tell your child not to talk about the case. That includes friends and social media. Only the lawyer should hear the details.
- Watch your own words. What you say to police can come up later too.
- Gather the basics. A judge may ask about school records and who lives in your home.
None of these steps take long, and each one can keep a bad day from getting worse.
A juvenile defense attorney can speak up at the detention hearing, argue for your child to go home and start building a defense right away. [Internal link: juvenile defense page]
When a case can move to adult court
Not every case stays in juvenile court. Murder charges start in adult court. Some other serious violent felonies can too, depending on your child’s age and the facts. In some cases, a prosecutor can also ask to move the case to adult court. A lawyer can ask the judge to send it back to juvenile court, which is one more reason to get legal advice early.
Taking it one step at a time
The days after an arrest feel chaotic, but you do not have to sort it out alone. Know your child’s rights, stay calm with them and keep the details of the case private. Every case has its own facts, so it helps to talk with a criminal defense attorney who handles juvenile cases. If your child faces charges in Hazleton or elsewhere in Luzerne County, reaching out early gives you more time to plan your next steps.