There are many community resources available to assist you and your child, depending on the nature of your concerns. The state of Idaho maintains an organization designed to assist you called Idaho CareLine. Contact Idaho CareLine by dialing 211 on your telephone, or visit their website at www.idahocareline.com  to find resources appropriate to your family’s needs.

Your child will have a detention hearing in front of a judge on the next business day. The outcome of that hearing determines whether your child will be released or remain in custody. Detention hearings usually start at 1:30 pm each business day. The actual time at which your child’s hearing will occur depends on several factors. For additional information, please contact your child’s assigned probation officer by calling (208) 287-5750.

If your child has been involved in a law violation, it is up to a law enforcement agency to investigate. If they find probable cause that a crime was committed, they will forward their police report to the Prosecuting Attorney.

Alcohol and Tobacco citations (tickets) are generally handled at the main Ada County Courthouse, not at Juvenile Court. If your child received the citation in connection with other charges at the time, then the citation may be handled together with the other charges at Juvenile Court. To find out if this has happened, contact the Ada County Courthouse Clerk’s Office at(208) 287-6900 (choose option 2), during the date range specified on the citation, and inquire whether the citation has been entered into their system. If not, then contact the Ada County Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office at (208) 577-4900 and inquire there

If your child’s citation will be handled at the main Ada County Courthouse, then proceed as follows:

At the bottom of your child’s citation is written a date range, during which time your child must appear at the Ada County Courthouse on 200 W. Front Street and enter a plea (guilty or not guilty) with the county clerk. NOTE: If this is your child’s first alcohol and/or tobacco citation, then he/she may ask the clerk to go to Youth Court, which is a type of diversion program that can help your child avoid getting a misdemeanor on their permanent record. You are not required to accompany your child for this initial trip to the courthouse. If your child enters a guilty plea at this time, then the clerk will assign a sentencing date when you and your child must appear before a judge at the same location (not at Juvenile Court). If your child enters a not guilty plea, then the clerk will assign both a pretrial hearing court date and a trial court date, and you and your child must appear before a judge at those times. If your child fails to appear for his/her assigned court date, then the prosecuting attorney may charge your child with Failure to Appear (a misdemeanor), and ask the judge for a warrant for your child’s arrest. If you have further questions about this process, please contact the Ada County Courthouse Clerk’s Office at (208) 287-6900 and choose option 2.

At the sentencing hearing, you and your child will receive paperwork that directs you to visit the clerk’s desk. Once there, the clerk will show you the available educational options in the community and help you sign up for the class(es) of your choice. You can contact the Ada County Courthouse Clerk’s Office at 208-287-6900 and choose option 2 for further information.

Ada County’s police departments handle police report requests:

Ada County Sheriff, Eagle, Star, & Kuna Police
Boise City Police
Garden City Police

Contact the court clerk who handles Public Records Requests by calling (208) 577-4832 or by emailing lwilliams@adacounty.id.gov

A status offense is a misbehavior that would not be a violation of law if committed by an adult but is an offense when committed by a minor because of their age. Examples of status offenses include truancy, runaway, beyond control, and curfew.

If formal charges are filed (petition), the juvenile and his/her parent/guardian will be summoned to appear in Juvenile Court for an Admit/Deny Hearing. At this hearing, the Judge will explain all pending charges and legal options to the juvenile. The juvenile can admit to the charges, or deny the charges and request a Public Defender for legal assistance. If they admit to the charges, the Judge may hand down his sentence at that time, or s/he may set a Sentencing Hearing for a later date. If the juvenile requests a lawyer, the case will be scheduled for a Pretrial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing (trial).

Diversion is a voluntary program that offers juveniles an opportunity to resolve a filed police report without appearing in court. The Prosecuting Attorney may refer juveniles to the diversion program, especially if their crimes are minor offenses and they are first time offenders. Participants are held accountable to the victim and community and learn skills to help them make better choices.

Probation is the release into the community of a juvenile who has been found guilty of a crime, typically under certain conditions such as paying a fine, doing community service, or attending a drug treatment program. The Judge can place a juvenile offender on probation for a time period not to exceed three years, and order one of two types of probation:

Informal Adjustment – A type of probation that allows for all charges to be dismissed after successful completion of all probation terms. This includes full payment of restitution and court fees as well as no further law violations.

Formal Probation – A type of probation where charges will not be dismissed once probation conditions are completed. They will remain on the juvenile record.

Probation terms are court requirements that a juvenile must follow in order to prevent further court action. The Balanced Approach is the judicial philosophy guiding ACJCS, and the Court believes that the community should be protected, that offenders be held accountable to the victim and community for their actions, and that they learn different and more appropriate behaviors. Therefore, probation terms may include the following: detention or detention alternatives, community service, substance abuse testing (urinalysis), participation in programs held at ACJCS or in the community, restitution, letter of apology to the victim, mediation, and payment of fees. Parents are liable along with the juvenile to pay all restitution and court fees. The Judge may also order parents into counseling and parenting programs if s/he feels it would be beneficial.

A probation officer is the court officer assigned to supervise a juvenile’s case. Probation officers from our Court Investigation Unit work with juveniles who have received formal charges and entered an admission or been found guilty, but have not yet been sentenced. They conduct a Social History Interview with the juvenile and their family to develop a written report for the Prosecuting Attorney, Defense Attorney, and Judge that will assist them in determining an appropriate sentence for the crimes. The Court Investigator will also help families understand the court process.

A probation officer from our Field Probation Unit will be assigned to a case after sentencing (within 2 weeks), and will call the juvenile and their parent to schedule an initial appointment. The responsibilities of Field Officers include monitoring of and assisting in the compliance of court-ordered probation terms. Monitoring may include home, school, and office visits as well as urinalysis testing and referrals for treatment programs and services that are available in the Court and community. The number of times a juvenile meets with their probation officer after the initial visit depends on the risk to the community and compliance with probation terms, and can range anywhere from daily to monthly contact.

Any time a juvenile is placed on probation, the court may require a parent or guardian to comply with specific conditions. The juvenile’s probation officer is required to monitor parent compliance. Failure to comply with the Court’s conditions may result in an Order to Show Cause (OSC) hearing. If a parent admits to the OSC petition or is found guilty, they may be sentenced to serve up to 5 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

A Fourth Amendment waiver is when a juvenile’s Fourth Amendment rights are waived for the purpose of search and seizure.

A representative from any program, assessment, counseling, or treatment service offered by ACJCS will contact the juvenile once a program referral has been made by the Court or probation officer. One exception to this is our Community Service Program. If community service is ordered in court, an orientation date will be set at this time. The juvenile will be required to attend this orientation with a parent or guardian.

Any programs, assessments, or treatment outside of ACJCS will require the family to make arrangements. The assigned probation officer may be able to assist the family with these community resources.

A drug/alcohol assessment is a tool used by substance abuse treatment programs to determine the treatment needs of an individual. If a juvenile is ordered to complete this assessment through ACJCS, a referral will be made and a counselor will contact the family to schedule an appointment. If an outside agency is used, the family will need to contact the agency to set up an assessment.

The Juvenile and/or parents/guardians/custodians can make payments on court costs and fees.  These payments can be made online by visiting www.mycourts.idaho.gov (can only be paid in full) or in person or through the mail to the Juvenile Court or Juvenile Probation Boise Office.

If formal charges have been filed and the juvenile is 14 years of age or older, their file and court hearings are open to the public unless the Judge deems special circumstances exist to keep the case closed. All schools are informed twice a year of juveniles who have been placed on probation and are attending their school.

If you have a valid reason for not being able to attend your scheduled community service, then contact the Community Service office at (208) 287-5600.

If a juvenile has been placed on probation, they can request expungement of their record. Expungement requires a special hearing in front of the Court and is only considered if: (1) it has been 5 years since the juvenile’s case was terminated from Juvenile Court; (2) it has been 5 years since the offender was released from the State Juvenile Corrections Center; or (3) the juvenile has reached age 18, whichever comes last. Expungement will not be considered if the offender committed specific crimes as a juvenile or an act of violence thereafter.

All job openings with Ada County Juvenile Court Services are posted to the main Ada County  Current Job Openings.

You can submit your questions or comments via the Ada County Feedback page.