ABSTRACT

Juvenile courts use a bifurcated process in which the dispositional hearing occurs after the adjudication hearing. The adjudication hearing is subject to procedural rules regarding the admissibility of evidence and other legal matters, but the dispositional hearing is less structured. Nominal dispositions are the least punitive options available to a juvenile court judge, besides dismissing the case, and they typically involve judicial warnings and reprimands. Conditional dispositions for juveniles who have been adjudicated delinquent most commonly involve probation, imposing specific requirements with which the juvenile offenders must comply as part of the disposition. Custodial dispositions result in the out-of-home placement of a juvenile offender following a judicial adjudication of delinquency. Juvenile placement facilities differ from adult jails and prisons in several meaningful ways. According to the public health model, the prevention of juvenile offending can occur at the primary/universal level and secondary/selective level.