Juvenile Probation Process

To contact your child's Probation Officer or to receive further information about Juvenile Probation, please contact the Lake County Probation Department at 707-262-4285.

  1. My Child Has Been Arrested, What Happens Now
  2. Juvenile Court Process
  3. What to Expect While Being Supervised
  4. Paying Restitution

One of two things will happen immediately after a child's arrest:

  1. The youth will be released immediately after arrest or citation. This is called non-detention/cite and release. In this case, the minor will be contacted by a Probation Officer for further instruction. An Out of Custody Referral may be made to the District Attorney (DA) by the Probation Officer. A youth may also be referred to community-based programs as an alternative to formal court action.
  2. If a youth is transported to the Lake County Probation, they will go through an intake process and a determination will be made about releasing the youth. A review of the offense, youth's social history, and assessment score using the Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (DRAI) will determine whether the youth will remain in custody pending further review. If a determination is made that the minor will be detained, the minor will be transported to the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall for housing until the minor can be taken to court.

The Probation Officer may decide to release the youth on a Home Supervision Agreement or an Electronic Monitoring Agreement. These agreements require the youth and parent/guardian to attend court hearings and abide by other probation terms. If the agreement is violated, the youth may be re-detained.