Juvenile Intake

Juvenile Intake & Assessment

The purpose of juvenile intake is to complete preliminary inquiry reports in order to provide dispositional recommendations to the court and the prosecutor’s office for youth that have allegedly committed an offense per Indiana Code. In addition, the juvenile intake team assesses the risk of the youth in compliance with state law and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) to determine whether or not a youth shall remain in custody or be released on an alternative to detention.

Purpose Of Detention Statement

“Understanding the risks of secure detention, Hamilton County will use secure detention only in compliance with state law; to ensure court attendance, and when the benefits to the community and the youth’s safety outweigh the risks as determined by an objective assessment tool used consistently and equitably.”

Preliminary Investigation Reports

The preliminary investigation (PI) is completed on most juveniles that are apprehended by law enforcement. The PI is typically completed prior to any formal charges being filed by the prosecuting attorney and recommendations are made to the prosecuting attorney as to how the case should be processed. The probation officer also makes custody and disposition recommendations to the court.