At-Risk Youth: A legislated program designed to assist and enable parents to gain control of their children through court intervention.

CHINS: The acronym for Child In Need of Services is similar to the At-Risk Youth process, except that a CHINS is filed when there is a need to remove the child from the home while court intervention and family services are provided.

Community Service: Work performed for public entities without financial compensation.  Community service is ordered by the court and includes litter cleanup of roadways/parks and participation in various community projects.

Dependency: Dependency court proceedings address the needs of children regarding abuse and/or neglect, abandonment, no parent/guardian or that are developmentally disabled. 

Detention: Juveniles are court ordered into a secured detention facility.  JCS currently contracts with the Martin Hall Regional Juvenile Detention Center, located in Medical Lake, WA, for detention services.

Diversion: A legal process whereby a first time offender alleged to have committed a minor criminal offense or cited for a tobacco infraction (non-criminal) may be offered an alternative to the formal court process.

Drug Testing: Random urinalysis screening for the detection of drugs/alcohol.

Electronic Monitoring: A device worn by the youth (usually an ankle bracelet) that detects and records a youth’s exit and entrance to his/her place of residence.

Emancipation Petitions: A legal process where 16 or 17 year olds may petition the court for legal status as an adult (emancipation).

Parole: Juveniles released from state correctional institutions to their home communities are placed under parole supervision and are supervised by state counselors.

Probation/Community Supervision: Supervision of juvenile offenders ages 8-18, as ordered by the court.  Under certain conditions, the juvenile court can require supervision until age 21.

Skills Classes: The following classes/services are periodically offered to offenders: Refusal Skills, Youth and Fire, Changing Ways, Minors in Prevention Program, Influence and Intimidation, Functional Family Therapy, academic tutoring, Youth Employment Program and mentoring.

Special Offender Supervision: The Special Sex Offender Disposition Act (SSODA), the Community Juvenile Accountability Act (CJAA), Chemical Dependency Disposition Alternative (CDDA), and Deferred Disposition provide special services for offenders that qualify.

Truancy: Juveniles who do not attend school are referred to the court for intervention.

   Additional information about juvenile courts and services in Washington State can be obtained at www.wajca.org