Juvenile Court

The Fayette County Juvenile Court has jurisdiction over all cases involving juveniles, including juveniles found to be delinquent, unruly, abused or neglected, and juvenile traffic offenders. Jurisdiction includes child abuse and cases of nonsupport, paternity, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

History

The first juvenile court was established in 1899 in Cook County, Illinois, and during the early part of the 20th century, the establishment of juvenile courts spread rapidly. States began realizing that they needed specialized tribunals to deal with problems that were created by the truancy and child labor laws, and found juvenile courts to be the answer. Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court was the first juvenile court in Ohio.

The juvenile court usually has jurisdiction over various case types including abortion consent; abused, neglected, and dependent children; unruly and delinquent children; and traffic offenders under the age of eighteen. The juvenile court may also have jurisdiction over matters involving parentage, custody of children, child support and visitation, consent to marry, adults charged with contributing to the delinquency, neglect, and unruliness of children, failure to send a child to school, and child endangering.

The judge of the juvenile court is directly responsible for the functioning of the juvenile court.