When a juvenile is suspected of violating a criminal statute, the procedure that’s followed is very different from that used for adult offenders in a typical criminal case.
When handling a juvenile case, a variety of factors are considered, including the severity of the offense, the juvenile’s age, the juvenile’s past record, the strength of evidence in the case, the juvenile’s social history, and family situation. The DA’s Office determines how it will proceed with prosecution from these and other factors.