What is a detention hearing for a juvenile?
It happens quickly — within 24 hours of being taken into custody, excluding weekends and holidays for secure detention.
The judge reviews whether there was probable cause and considers the risk assessment score DJJ generated at intake. Counsel is appointed at this hearing if the family can't retain someone.
The outcome is placement: secure, non-secure, or home detention.
What parents can do that helps. Be present. Bring proof of school enrollment, evidence of a stable residence, and a specific supervision plan — who will be home, what the arrangements are, whether there's counseling or a program in place. Judges deciding on home detention are assessing whether there's an adult who can actually supervise.
What doesn't help: arguing the merits of the charge at this hearing, or a parent who indicates they can't manage the child. That second one produces secure detention more often than anything else.
Bring a supervision plan, not an argument about the facts. ---
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