The Juvenile Justice System seeks to balance the interests of the community in punishing criminal activity and protecting society with an understanding that the juvenile offender is often not fully developed in conforming behavior to the law.  A juvenile may also be more open to rehabilitation because they are still developing mentally, emotionally and physically.

The juvenile justice system moves quickly to promise a swift response to a child's action once formally petitioned by the court.   The statute in Indiana requires that when the child is held in custody, the fact finding, or trial be held within 20 days of filing the petition of delinquency.  In effect, all fact finding cases be held within 20 days of the court filing the petition.  In effect, this translates into an offense occurring, a child being arrested, a preliminary inquiry taking place, a formal petition filed, and a fact finding hearing taking place all within 30 days.

Once a child is adjudicated delinquent the Court may place a child in the Allen County Juvenile Center, the Department of Corrections, formal probation, counseling and a variety of other social service programs to assure that the needs of the child are being met while the safety of the community is assured.

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