Cases involving minors do not go through the same justice system as adult cases. There are, however, exceptions in situations where they commit serious offenses; the court may treat such cases as felonies. The court will only consider other cases as misdemeanor offenses. The offenders go through alternative punishments, which may include going to juvenile detention.
The American Bar association has juvenile justice standards guiding how the police handle minors caught in different kinds of offenses, more so those that are less serious. Here are simple ways that the police may handle them.
- Holding the minor temporarily: The police may hold the minor for a short time and as they summon the parent. They will then discuss the issue with the parent, issue a warning, and release them in the presence of the parent or guardian.
- Issuing warnings: In other cases, when the police arrest a minor violating the law, they will issue a warning and let them go. It is a legal process known as counsel and release.
- Arraigning them in a Juvenile court: When the offense is a serious or a repeated one, the police may take the minor to juvenile custody. They will then go to a juvenile court where the judge will decide to put them in juvenile detention for a specified period.
Sometimes parents may hand over their child to the police if their behavior gets out of hand. In other cases, the police arrest them in the act, regardless of how they end up in custody, Ohio juvenile court has set rules guiding juvenile procedure to ensure children get fair treatment when they violate the law.