Court Process

Once the District Attorney has filed a Petition with the Court, you will receive a Notice of Hearing from the Probation Department. A Probation Officer is present in Court throughout the court process. Once the Court has made a determination the juvenile has committed the offense, the Probation Officer is tasked with preparing a Social Study regarding the juvenile's history and making a determination about the services and consequences.

To prepare the Disposition Report (PDF), the Probation Officer will seek information like the family's:

• Financial status
• Living status
• Family relations
• Substance use
• School history
• Criminal history

Additionally, the Officer will prepare a Needs/Risk Assessment to determine the needs of the juvenile and determine the risk level to re-offend. This information is gathered during an interview with the juvenile and his parent/guardian. Additionally, the parent/guardian is asked to complete a packet with static information.

The Probation Officer only has a short time frame to conduct the social study and prepare the report for the Court. The Probation Officer assigned to write the report will contact the parent/guardian to schedule the interview. Please be on time for the interview scheduled and only reschedule the appointment if there is an emergency. If you have questions, please call the Probation Department at 707-262-4285.

Needs Assessment Tool

For more information about Probation's Juvenile Needs Assessment Tool, please visit the Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) page.