Before the hearing, a probation officer will investigate the case by interviewing the family and other people to gather information to help the judge make a disposition. The judge may also order evaluations such as psychological, substance abuse, medical, etc. At the hearing the judge will consider the evaluations, reports, and statements made by all parties, including the victim. The juvenile and parents will be ordered to repay the victim for losses. The two main dispositions the court may order are probation or commitment to the Department of Juvenile Corrections.
Probation is the disposition made in most juvenile court cases.
The judge will order that the juvenile live with a responsible adult, usually the parents, and order that certain conditions be followed. They may include a curfew, school attendance, counseling, etc. The judge may determine that the juvenile needs treatment that is not available in the community or that the community needs to be protected from the juvenile's behavior. In such cases, the juvenile may be placed in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Corrections. The Department may then place the juvenile in foster care, a group home, a hospital, secure confinement, or placement in another state.