Juvenile Intake Matters

Custody and Visitation 

Parents, relatives and other interested parties may file a Custody and visitation petition. Physical custody determines where the child will live most of the time. Legal custody determines who can sign legal documents for the child. 

Visitation establishes a schedule for non-custodial parents or relatives to visit the child. 

 

Traffic & Status Offenses

 If your child received a court summons for a traffic or another offence there may be two options: Court hearing or Diversion. 

 

 

  • Court Hearing: If your child is required to appear in court, there will be a date and time written on the summons. In this case you and your child are required to attend in person on that day and time.
  • Diversion: If there is not a date written on the summons, your child may be eligible for Diversion. Contact the Intake Office for more information.

 

 

Criminal Complaints

Criminal complaints against minors initiate at the Intake Office. These offenses include theft, assault, destruction of property, etc. Depending the seriousness of the offense, this may result in: Diversion, a Criminal Petition or a Detention Order. 

 

  • The Code of Virginia allows the Diversion of some criminal petitions from the court. This is common for first time minor offenses or misdemeanors. Diversion is addressed informally at the Intake Office without a criminal petition being filed. After a Diversion meeting with the parent/guardian, the minor and an Intake Officer, a plan is signed for up to 120 days of informal supervision by the Intake Officer.

 
  • Criminal Petitions are brought by law enforcement for serious, violent or non-divertible offenses. They enter through the Intake Office and are filed with the Clerk’s Office for a formal hearing. Parents, guardians and the minor defendant typically receive a summons to attend a court hearing. The defendant may hire an attorney or request that the court appoint a Public Defender to represent them.

 
  • Juvenile Detention Orders may be issued when a minor commits a serious or violent offense. Law Enforcement officers are tasked with arresting the juvenile, or the child’s parents can voluntarily bring the minor to court on the next business day at 9:00am. A parent or guardian must appear with the minor at the time of the hearing. For Detention Orders issued after-hours, the minor will be transported to the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Home, located in Alexandria, Virginia. For more information contact the Intake Office.

 

 

Have an existing custody or visitation order?, To modify or to file a motion when the other party fails to comply with a court order, contact the Clerk’s Office. 

 

Contact Us

Phone

703-228-4500

Location

Arlington Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court Intake
1425 N. Courthouse Rd, Ste. 4300
Arlington, VA
22201
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