Juvenile Services

Juveniles arrested or cited for Destruction of Property-Graffiti are subject to probation supervision, fines, Driver's License suspension, restitution to the victim, and community service or work crew. For more information please see Nevada Revised Statute 62E.690 and 206.330

Consequences for Driving Under the Influence include probation supervision, driver's license suspensions, fines, community service or work crew, substance abuse evaluation, and DUI school. For more information please see Nevada Revised Statute 62E.640

In Nevada, it is against the law for youth under the age of 21 to buy, consume or possess alcohol.  Juveniles arrested or cited for this offense may be subject to probation supervision, driver's license suspensions, fines, community service or work crew, and substance abuse evaluations. For more information please see Nevada Revised Statute 62E.630 and 62E.620

It is against the law to buy, consume or possess marijuana.  Juveniles arrested or cited for this offense may be subject to probation supervision, driver's license suspensions, fines, community service or work crew, and substance abuse evaluations. For more information please see Nevada Revised Statute 62E.620 

If a child habitually is truant from school, he/she may be subject to penalties as stated per Nevada Revised Statute.  Truancy citations may result in fines, community service or work crew and driver's license suspensions.  For more information regarding services for Truants, please refer to Intake Unit and Nevada Revised Statute 62E.430

The main difference between the Juvenile and Adult systems is the concept of rehabilitation. Washoe County Juvenile Services is committed to helping youthful offenders better themselves by offering a multitude of services and accountability. While community protection is of the utmost importance, youthful offenders are an important part of that community and as such deserve all the resources available to them. 

Learn more about juvenile case processing or JDAI (Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative) within our department.

The Department of Juvenile Services, upon completion of a Release of Juvenile Legal History form, can only provide the legal history to the requesting person, if they are 18 years or older.  If the requestor is under the age of 18 the youth's parents or legal guardians need to complete the form.  Forms are available at Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center.  All forms must be notarized prior to or at time of submission (free notary services are available at Juvenile Services).  Please allow up to two weeks to process these requests. 

If you need more detailed juvenile records, such as police reports you will need to contact the Self Help Center at washoecourts.com to request a court order for release of this information.

Due to confidentiality, police reports cannot be released by this department. You may however contact the District Attorney`s office at 328-3200 to request a copy.

We have several types of court hearings at the Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center.

Detention Hearings:

If a youth was arrested and detained they are required by law to have a hearing before the Juvenile Court the following business day to determine if they will remain detained in Wittenberg Hall or if they can be released, or released on house arrest or electronic monitoring.  Detention hearings are held:

Juvenile Traffic Court:

If a youth has received a citation for a minor traffic offense, they will be summoned to appear with one or both parents before the Juvenile Traffic Master.  The hearings are held throughout the business week.  The summons sent to you will have the date and time you need to appear at Juvenile Traffic Court.  If you have lost your paperwork, contact our Juvenile Traffic Office at 325-7901.

Juvenile Court Hearing and Trials:

All other court hearings or trails are set by the Juvenile Court.  Court is held every business day. If you have lost your paperwork, contact your assigned probation officer at 325-7800.  It is your responsibility to attend your court hearing. There are no excuses allowed for missing court.

Most juvenile records are confidential and cannot be accessed by others. Juvenile records can be sealed under certain circumstances. If you would like further information please see visit the Public Defender's  website. 

Once a youth is arrested and detained, the parent/guardian is charged $30.00 a day until the initial detention hearing. Detention hearings occur within 24 hours each day Monday through Friday.  There are no detention hearings on the weekend or Holidays. Once the initial detention hearing has occurred and the youth remains in detention, the parent is no longer responsible for payment.

If your child is arrested and authorized for release, but you refuse custody of your child the cost per day is $100.75.

Once your child is detained, you will be asked to sign a Health Consent Waiver which authorizes a health assessment by our medical staff. For more information please visit our Wittenberg Medical Page.

Once your child has been authorized for release, it is important that you do so. Wittenberg Hall is designed to house only those juveniles that meet detention criteria. Please be assured, whether cited or arrested, the juvenile will be seen by a Probation Officer or Case Manager. See Juvenile Case Process page. You may requested to see a Probation Officer or Case Manager as soon as possible to begin working with you and your child. 

Due to the confidential nature of our facility, tours are not available for the general public.

Complete visiting requirements can be found on our Visitation page.

The purpose of detention is to keep the community secure from high risk offenders. It is not to "teach a lesson". National studies have shown that incarceration is not the answer. If you have been told you must pick up your child, it is because your child has not met the risk criteria to stay detained. Please be assured however, that your child's case will be dealt with in a timely fashion by either a Probation Officer or Case Manager.  Visit our Juvenile Case Process page. If you have further question please call 325-7801

Giving up custody of your child comes with some serious consequences.  If you would like more information, please call Washoe County Department of Social Services at 785-8600 or visit their website

Status offenses are offenses that would not apply to an adult such as, Runaway, CHINS (Child in Need of Supervision), Incorrigible, Curfew and Truancy.  Please see our Early Intervention page for more information.

Please visit our Case Process page.

Our Department offers assistance to parents through Early Intervention at 325-7801, or Informal Supervision Unit Online Referral form.  

Young people often have conflicts and disagreements with their parents, but if a minor thinks his/her problem cannot be resolved and has tried every option, emancipation might be a solution. This is a serious undertaking, and the court will look carefully at each petition. The judge considers whether this emancipation is in the minor's "best interest".

Emancipation cannot be canceled, but it may be declared void if it can be proven that the minor cannot support him/herself, or that he/she gave false information in the petition.

• minor may enter into contracts such as rental agreements, loans and credit agreements
• minor can sue or be sued because in the eyes of the law, the minor is an adult
• minor may go to the doctor of his/her choice and parents will not have to sign for the minor 

Emancipation has advantages and disadvantages. These must be considered when a minor makes a decision. If possible, the minor should discuss emancipation with his/her parents, guardians, probation officer or social worker before filing a petition with the court.

For more information please call Washoe Legal Services at 329-2727.

Most minors, juveniles between the ages of 8 and 18, are under the control of their parents, stepparents or guardian. The parent is responsible for the minor. A minor 16 years or older can request that the court order that he or she be responsible for him/herself. This process is called emancipation. If the court agrees, the minor is emancipated. The minor then has the ability to do some things he/she couldn't do before. However, the emancipated minor also has certain responsibilities minors usually do not have since their parents or guardians no longer are responsible for the minor.

• Complete emancipation paperwork and file it with the court clerk
• Pay filing fees and process service fees
• Send a notice to parents/guardians and the District Attorney's office

• Current school records
• Work Records (paycheck stubs, letters from employers)
• Apartment lease or letter from your landlord
• Budgets showing your income and expenses

Home: the minor must be living apart from parents or legal guardian.  Parents or guardian should agree to the minor living away from home.

Work: the minor must show that he/she has a job that pays enough to live by showing payroll receipts, or other proof of employment.  It helps if the minor has had a job for at least 60-90 days. The court may permit a responsible adult over the age of 18, such as a brother, sister, aunt or uncle to prove they are assisting the minor by contributing to his/her support. The court may also consider other sources of income such as Social Security Child's benefits, insurance proceeds or an inheritance.

Income: the minor must show the court that he/she can live, get around, eat and clothe him/herself. Some examples are having a checking or saving account, paying rent and utilities, having a credit card and making payments on time.

• minor cannot buy liquor, beer or wine until the age of 21
• minor cannot work as a dealer in a casino until the age of 21
• minor cannot get married without parental consent 
• minor cannot drop out of school unless 18 years of age or, if under 18, only with written permission from the school board to withdraw
• if minor commits a crime he/she will be initially treated as a juvenile, unless charged with murder or attempted murder. If that is the case, he/she will be treated as an adult. If the crime is serious, and the court believes he/she cannot be helped by the juvenile system, the minor may be certified for trial as an adult. The same rules apply to emancipated minors and other juveniles. This will be the judge's decision.

You are responsible to log your community service ordered by the Court, Probation Office or Case Manager. The Supervisor at your community service site may put this information on letterhead or you may have paperwork with a name and a number of where you worked and what you did. Please keep in mind that only NON-PROFIT organizations can be used for community service. For clarification, that means the organization has Non-Profit status, not just that you do not get paid for the work.

Please note; Youth are responsible for providing documentation concerning community service to their Probation Officer or Case Manager.

There are many resources available in the community to help families and children. 

Resource list 

Counseling

Nevada Revised Statutes do not require that youth age fourteen (14) and over to have work permits.  NRS does require that youth under fourteen (14) have permission from the District Court Judge.  Further information regarding juvenile work permits can be located in Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 609.  If your child's employer requires a Juvenile Work Permit, please contact the Family Self Help Center at (775)-325-6731.

Consequences for Driving Under the Influence include probation supervision, driver's license suspensions, fines, community service or work crew, substance abuse evaluation, and DUI school. For more information please see Nevada Revised Statute 62E.640

No, you must first appear before the Traffic Master at your scheduled time. At least one parent is required to accompany their child. If a fine is imposed, there are many options for payment. Please see our financial obligations page.

Juvenile Traffic School is held at the Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center, 650 Ferrari-Mcleod, Reno, NV. It is held on scheduled Wednesdays from 3:15 to 6:30 pm. Please check in at 3 pm. Classes are facilitated by Nevada Highway Patrol. There is no charge for this class. Late comers will not be admitted.