What is juvenile law?
The Juvenile court system is divided into two distinct legal areas.

In the dependency system, The D.C.F.S., the Department of Children and Family Services, (previously called HRS) will respond to accusations that a child is in danger of abuse or neglect. A petition can be filed with the Court requesting that the child(ren) be removed from the home and placed into a shelter, foster care home, or placement with a relative pending a determination as to the nature and extent of the accusations. Once the danger of abuse or neglect has been addressed, and remedied, the Court will return the child(ren) to the family.

The delinquency system is designed to resolve crimes committed by juveniles. Juveniles have the same constitutional rights as adults. Cases are handled by prosecutors and children are entitled to challenge the evidence against them in a trial before a judge, who will also determine what an appropriate punishment would be if the charges are proven. Unlike the adult system, penalties are generally directed toward rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Most first time juvenile offenders may qualify for one of several diversion programs designed to address the source of the child's illegal behavior while protecting a child's juvenile delinquency record by removing the charge after successful completion.