Juvenile Probation

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 probation officers assess 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

The Henry County Juvenile Justice System and community stakeholders believe that the needs of our youth must be balanced with the interest of public safety. Henry County continuum of detention may range from the least restrictive community base supervision to the most restrictive form of secure care. Secure detention may be permissible for a length of time that is necessary to address the child status, ensure court appearance, assess the seriousness of the offense and/or a violation, and determine alternatives based on the risk of the youth, the needs of the family, and the safety of the community.

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.