Intake Unit

Deputy Juvenile Officers (DJOs) assigned to the intake unit are responsible for conducting conferences with a youth and a parent/guardian for all legally sufficient status and delinquency referrals for youth who are not already on either informal or formal probation. The Intake officer is responsible for gathering background information regarding the youth, identifying strengths of the youth and determining whether the referral will be handled informally or formally. The DJO considers the severity of the offense, the impact of the offense on the victim and community, the juvenile’s referral history, and whether there is any restitution due to the victim. It is vitally important for youth and parents/guardians to cooperate with the intake officer to ensure the youth's needs can be met.  Status offenders require commitment from the parent/guardian in order to best effect positive change for the youth. Through this process, the intake officer may refer a youth to community-based services and programs to help the youth. In the event an intake officer recommends formal intervention, the officer will make a recommendation as to whether the youth should be placed on probation, be committed to the Buchanan County Academy, be committed to the Missouri Division of Youth Services, or certified to stand trial as an adult.

For the definition of "certification" please refer to the Glossary Page of this website.