A Connecticut Juvenile Court judge has the authority to send a child to juvenile detention. Basically, juveniel detention is a secure facility where a child who has been arrested is held. There are two Juvenile Detention Centers in Connecticut – one in Bridgeport and the other in Hartford. A child ends up in juvenile detention…
When DCF files a Neglect Petition in Juvenile Court they can also request an Order of Temporary Custody (OTC). Here is a snapshot of the OTC process: 1. Ex parte. DCF presents a judge with Affidavits from social workers, pediatricians and others who have information as to why the OTC should be granted. The parents…
Permanent guardianship is one of several dispositions available when a judge in Connecticut Court finds that a child has been abused or neglected. One of these is to transfer guardianship of the child to a suitable and worthy caretaker. The proposed guardian is usually a relative or an individual who has a significant relationship with…
A child 17 years old and under who is alleged to have committed a crime will be summoned to Connecticut Juvenile Court and charged as a delinquent. Delinquency proceedings have benefits over being charged as an adult such as confidentiality of the proceedings and the ability to have certain records erased. Plus, the overall philosophy…
Connecticut Juvenile Court and DCF can be intimidating and confusing. Plus, some DCF Investigations result in DCF filing Neglect Petitions in Connecticut Juvenile Court requiring the parents to appear before a judge and then other times DCF closes their case with no court involvement. In the most urgent of cases, DCF will request that the…
Whenever DCF is involved there is always the risk that they might file a Neglect Petition in the Juvenile Court. It used to be that DCF would file Neglect Petitions virtually any time an Investigation was Substantiated and sometimes even in cases where there was no Substantiation. However, over the last year or two, the…