Juvenile

a juvenile with handcuffs

 

Juvenile prosecutors in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office review and prosecute cases involving crimes committed by children ages 10 through 16. These cases include all felony offenses (up through Capital Murder), as well as all Class A and B misdemeanors, and certain status and other offenses.

 

Juvenile prosecutors review offense referrals from law enforcement agencies and work with the Tarrant County Juvenile Court, the Tarrant County Juvenile Probation Department, and other public and private agencies and service providers, in an effort to protect the public, to punish criminal acts, and to emphasize the accountability and responsibility of both the parent and the child for the child’s conduct and control the commission of unlawful acts by children. Texas laws require Juvenile prosecutors to place children who are in need of redirection and rehabilitation into programs and services that will lead them down the path to becoming productive citizens, all while maintaining public order and safety. Available programs and services include in-home programs such as deferred prosecution, probation supervision, various job- and parenting-skills programs, and the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program, as well as out-of-home placements such as boys and girls ranches, drug rehabilitation facilities, and mental health facilities. For juvenile offenders in need of the highest levels of supervision and intervention, placement in the custody of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is also possible under certain circumstances.

The juvenile prosecutors of the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office are committed to the safety of our community, to the well-being of our children, and to the protection of all citizens of Tarrant County from juvenile crime.