What Happens Now?

After police respond to a situation where a youth may have committed a crime, they will do one of the following;

• Release the youth to their parent or guardian
• Take the youth into custody and transport them to the Linn-Benton Juvenile Detention Center
• Place them in a shelter care facility

What happens after my child has contact with police?

After your child has contact with a law enforcement agency, the police officer or sheriff’s deputy will write a report and send it to the Linn County Juvenile Department. This is known as a “referral”. The juvenile department will assign your child’s case to a Probation Officer who will meet with you to explain the process further and to help you understand all of your options. It is important that you attend this meeting with your child. The Juvenile Department’s response may vary by individual youth based on their history with the department and Oregon Statute.

If your child is transported to detention, they may have a court hearing or be released (with conditions) within 36 hours of being processed into detention. You may visit your child while he/she is in detention.

Throughout our involvement in your child's case, a Probation Officer works to assess your child's needs. The Probation Officer may find that your child needs an alcohol and/or drug assessment, a mental health assessment, in-home supports, mental health treatment, etc. We work to address your child's needs and teach new skills to help your child take responsibility for their actions, repair any harm to their victim(s), and assist both youth and their families achieve positive change.

Linn-Benton Juvenile Detention Center

How long will the process take?

If your child is taken into custody, you will be contacted immediately. If a law enforcement agency writes a report that says your child may have committed a crime, but they did not take your child into custody, the juvenile department will typically contact you within two weeks of receiving the report. The juvenile department works hard to handle cases in a timely manner. However, it is important to know several things to affect our ability to begin working your child's case;

It typically takes a week or more for a law enforcement agency to submit a report to our office once an incident occurs. Also, once we receive a report, the Linn County District Attorney's Office is responsible for making a determination as to whether or not they support the allegation(s) the officer or deputy charged the youth with in the report. If the District Attorney rejects one or more allegation(s), then we will advise you of this fact by mailing a hard copy 'rejection notice' to you. If the District Attorney supports one or more allegation(s), our office will contact you for an Intake Appointment, to come in with your child and meet with a Probation Officer to discuss your child's options.

What is my role as the parent or guardian of the youth?

The parent or guardian plays a very important role in the juvenile justice process. Unlike adults, youth are usually dependent on family members who have a large influence on their choices. The partnership between the parent/guardian and the Probation Officer can have a big impact on the youth’s success. The staff at the juvenile department rely on the input of the parent/guardian to help the youth and family through the juvenile justice process.

Right to have an attorney:

You have the right to an attorney for you and your child, at your own expense, during any point in the process. Once your child’s case has been assigned to a Juvenile Probation Officer, you may discuss the possibility of a court appointed attorney with them.