If your child has no criminal history, you may be able to get most of this resolved without him being taken into custody.  They may be telling him that he going to be taken into custody just to give him a scare.  You don't mention who you are talking to, but the two people who could influence the decision to take him into custody are the probation officer with the juvenile probation department and the  prosecutor with the district attorney's office.  They can actually tell you what is happening with your son's case better than the school or the law enforcement agency that filed the charges against him.  If he is taken into custody, he will not be housed with adults, but rather, at a juvenile detention center.  Some counties have centers locally, which others sub-contract with facilities out of county.  I would strongly recommend that you talk to a defense attorney that does juvenile law in your county. (You may want to call the court coordinator and see if your son qualifies for a court-appointed attorney, or at the very least get a list of attorneys they use for juvenile appointments)  Procedures do tend to vary a bit, and they can give you a better feel on whether the agency or school was just trying to scare you.  If the threat to take him into custody was not a threat, then they can also help you get ahead of the charges, and maybe workout a short probation in advance so he does not have to be taken into custody.