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Juvenile Justice System
Arrest
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Judicial Handling of Cases (cont.) |
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| Assessments | |
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The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) may recommend for some youth to receive an assessment. The judge can also order a youth to participate in an assessment. Assessments assist DJJ and the judge in deciding on the most appropriate services for a youth. If the youth is recommended to get an assessment, it is important to get the assessment done without delay so that the information from the assessment can be used in planning what services can best help the youth. It is also important for parents to attend the assessment with their child to provide information about their child to the assessor. Assessments are done on a walk-in basis. It is possible that families may have to wait if several people show up at the same time for an assessment. Families may wish to call ahead to the assessment location to see if there is a long wait. They may also wish to call (239) 772-1211 to confirm that assessments will be offered on the date and location they wish to attend. Assessments stop at 3:00 p.m. so it is best to arrive no later than 2:00 p.m. Assessments are provided by Southwest Florida Addiction Services (SWFAS) in two locations:
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| Disposition Hearing | |
| Youth who plead guilty or no contest and youth who plead not guilty, but have been found by the judge to be guilty of a delinquent act, participate in a Disposition Hearing. The Disposition Hearing is similar to a sentencing hearing in adult court. The judge uses the Pre-Disposition Report (PDR) to help decide on the most appropriate services for the youth. The judge may sentence a youth to probation, to a commitment program, or to other alternative juvenile services. | |