Juvenile prosecution
The Juvenile Prosecution Division prosecutes all levels of offenses, ranging from serious traffic offenses to homicides. Attorneys specialize in the areas of domestic abuse and criminal sexual conduct prosecutions.
Prosecutors seek to maintain public safety through sanctions and juvenile programming that are appropriate for the young person and the circumstances of the offense.
Violent juvenile offenders are aggressively prosecuted. Many less serious offenses, including first time lower level offenders, are diverted through Headway and other community agencies to avoid formal charging and prosecution if possible.
Anyone who commits a crime when he or she is between the ages of 10 and 17 is considered a juvenile offender. With a few exceptions for especially violent crimes, most juvenile cases remain in the juvenile court. Younger children are referred to the child welfare system.