Question

You are the juvenile court judge. It is your responsibility to decide the appropriate disposition for Trey's case. You have heard from Trey and his father, and have learned from the predisposition report that Trey was previously on probation for burglary. Trey's father seems to be a hard worker, but as a single father, he is unable to spend a great amount of time with Trey. In addition, it seems that Trey has a problem with stealing from others to get what he wants. You must decide the proper treatment for Trey. How do you proceed?

Answer 1

In this example, the judge is asked to decide what the appropriate disposition is for Trey's case. Disposition orders for juveniles usually fall within two categories: incarceration and non-incarceration. When it comes to non-incarceration options, probation is usually the most common one. We know that Trey was already on probation for burglary. Therefore, it is likely that probation is not a strategy that works with him and that he needs a harsher sentence.

The least serious incarceration sentence is house arrest. However, we know that Trey's father is a single father and is unable to spend time with Trey. Therefore, this would not be beneficial for them. Therefore, I would recommend that Trey is temporarily held at a juvenile hall or a juvenile detention facility, most likely followed by a period of probation.