JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM OVERVIEW UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF 1983 THE JUDICIAL COURT IS ONE OF 7 COURTS (5 TRIAL COURTS). THE JUVENILE COURTS ADDRESS THE IMPACT OF SOCIETAL PROBLEMS ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THE COURTS WANT TO REHABILITATE AND HOLD JUVENILES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR.

CASES Instead of a trial juveniles have an adjudication and they receive a sentence after. The court deals with citizens under the age of 17, delinquent and unruly, deprived children under 18, and minors seeking permission to marry or join the military. Substance abuse, domestic violence, untreated mental health issues, trauma, temporary family crisis due to illness or an unstable home, and neglect and abuse are all cases that the Juvenile Court System deals with. Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the ages of 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law. These acts aren’t called crimes as they would be for adults. Rather, crimes committed by minors are called delinquent acts.

JUDGES Judges of the juvenile court system are appointed by Superior Court judges to four year terms. There is one judge per court and 159 judges in total. James R. Whitfield is the presiding judges in cobb county. Judge John Sumner is the new President of the Council.

JURISDICTION The jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court System and many of the other court systems are limited to one per county. There are 159 courts and 159 counties in Georgia. The jurisdiction of juvenile courts extends to delinquent children under the age of seventeen and deprived children under the age of eighteen.

HISTORY The first juvenile court in the United States was established in Chicago in The first one in Georgia was established in 1911 in Fulton County. A 1979 law called the Juvenile Code is what controls the Juvenile Court System. The purpose is to be protective more than punishing to the children.

WEBSITES cjcj.georgiacourts.gov system?ref=nBzQ branch-overview 40