My child has been arrested – what next?

If your child has been arrested, he or she is likely en route to, or already at, the Allen County Juvenile Center (ACJC) for detention processing. A Probation Officer will be completing an assessment and determining whether or not your child is eligible to be released to your care on his or her own recognizance. Depending on the circumstances, it may be deemed necessary for your child to be detained at the ACJC or the Youth Services Center (YSC) for his or her safety or that of the community. If you haven’t already, you will be receiving a phone call from either a Probation Officer or an ACJC Admissions staff member who will be able to provide you with information pertaining to the arrest charges and advise you of the status of your child. If your child is to be released to your care, please be sure to bring the following items with you:

Child’s birth certificate
Child’s social security card
Your picture ID
Two (2) recent paycheck stubs – if applicable

Whether or not your child is detained, you will likely both be ordered to appear for a hearing in the near future called either a Detention Review Hearing or a Preliminary Inquiry Investigation Meeting. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your child’s arrest, there are a number of possible outcomes at those hearings which can only be answered by the Probation Officer assigned to your child’s case. In order to get familiar with those possible outcomes, you may visit the Court Process section of this website for more details.