Opinion ID: 2080854
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of Dispositional Hearing

Text: Our interest in the rights of juvenile offenders compels us to point out that the disposition in this case violated the juvenile's rights in two respects. 15 M.R.S.A. § 3312(1) requires that the juvenile court after making an order of adjudication . . . hear evidence on the question of the proper disposition best serving the interests of the juvenile and the public. While it is true that the preparation of a social study and written report on the juvenile adjudicated may be waived by the court, it is mandatory that the court conduct a dispositional hearing. Such a hearing need not be delayed beyond the day of adjudication nor need it necessarily be very extensive. At least one indispensable element of such a hearing is the right of the juvenile to be heard concerning the proper disposition. In this instance the court immediately imposed sentence after adjudication and when requested by defense counsel to hold a dispositional hearing, merely repeated the prior order of disposition. In addition, the 24-hour sentence to the county jail does not conform to the requirements of the Juvenile Code. 15 M.R.S.A. § 3314(1)(H) permits a period of confinement in the county jail only in conjunction with a suspended sentence to the Maine Youth Center.