When students are referred to juvenile probation, they are taken to the local juvenile probation department, where they are questioned and fingerprinted. A determination is then made about whether the youth will be released to a parent or detained. If it is determined necessary, the youth may be detained in the juvenile detention center for up to two days before seeing a judge for a detention hearing, who may extend the time the youth remains in detention.
While many youth end up on informal probation without going to court (deferred prosecution), the most common outcome when youth are referred to juvenile probation is probation. Probation often includes a combination of placement in a treatment center or a secure probation facility and community-based probation that keeps the youth in their home, checking in with their probation officer. Youth may also receive rehabilitative treatment in their community. Research has shown that processing youth through the juvenile justice system can increase a youth’s chance of acting out again, creating a cycle of delinquency and court involvement.
Referrals to juvenile probation become a part of the student's record. The record is not available to the public. But, that record is made available to law enforcement.