Juvenile Matters

If your child is arrested, they will be taken through the following steps:

• Step 1: Initial processing at the Juvenile Processing Center, 5000 Hayes Street, NE
• Step 2: Interview with a probation officer from CSSD at the Youth Services Center, 1000 Mount Olivet Road, NE
• Step 3: First hearing in the Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave, NW, Room JM-15

At the courthouse:

• You will meet a probation officer in Room JM-600.
• If your child doesn’t already have a lawyer, one will be provided.
• The judge decides if your child can go home and what rules they must follow.

If your child has missed 15 days of school or more, he or she may be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General for DC (OAG). To prepare for this, you should go to your child’s school and obtain their attendance records and any supporting documents that show the school’s efforts to address the matter. 

If you have at least three documented missing person’s reports, you can report to the Family Court Social Services Division Status Offender Unit, at 920 Rhode Island Ave, NE, to be interviewed by a juvenile probation officer. Children in such situations are known as Status Offenders.

This is called sealing or expunging a record. When a case is sealed, the details of it cannot be viewed and when a case is expunged, it is removed completely from the court record. Two years after a juvenile matter is successfully closed or terminated, the youth or his or her attorney can file a motion to the Family Court asking it to vacate the juvenile order and findings and ordering that all records in that case be sealed or expunged. This action can be taken only if the juvenile has not been delinquent, in need of supervision, or convicted of a crime during the two year time-period.

A Custody Order is a term used in juvenile proceedings, which is similar to an bench warrant for adults. A custody order requires that a youth be taken into custody and brought before a judge. Custody orders are issued by a judge in Family Court to bring the child into the court when he or she has not appeared for a hearing, is not complying with conditions of probation, or is believed to have committed a crime.

To resolve a custody order, a youth can:

• report to the closest MPD District and turn him or herself in.
• report to the DC Superior Court – Family Court Social Services Division Intake Unit, Room JM-620 of the Moultrie Courthouse to resolve the custody order during normal business hours of 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
• report to their assigned probation officer – if they have one - during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

For additional information contact 202-879-4742; after 5:00 p.m. 202-576-5174.

A Parent Participation Order is a signed contract between the parent(s) of a delinquent youth and the Court. It requires attendance at all hearings and follow-ups on any needs and conditions of release of the respondent.

The Family Court operates a specialized Juvenile Behavioral Diversion Program with two different ‘tracks.’ The first is for first-time, nonviolent offenders and the program’s services are provided before a trial or a plea. The second track is for those who have entered a plea and who agree to certain conditions.

The Child Guidance Clinic provides comprehensive clinical and forensic psychological evaluations, including assessments of a child’s intellectual, educational, and personality functioning. The Child Guidance Clinic provides the following types of evaluations:

• General
• Psycho-educational
• Competency to stand trial
• Competency to waive Miranda rights
• Parenting capacity
• Neuropsychological
• Violence risk
• Sex offender
• Waiver of juvenile jurisdiction

The DC Department of Behavioral Health provides comprehensive mental health services for any youth who is a resident of the District of Columbia.

The DC Department of Behavioral Health provides comprehensive substance/drug abuse services for any youth who is a resident of the District of Columbia.

The Child Guidance Clinic offers a competitive pre-doctoral internship in psychology (accredited by APA) for advanced graduate and professional trainees pursuing a doctorate in psychology. The Clinic also offers practicum training for masters’ level students in an active program for counseling or clinical psychology.