The call usually comes late. A Columbus police officer is on the line, and your son or daughter is in custody. You have a dozen questions and almost no answers. Where is my child right now? Can I see them? Are they being questioned?
In those first hours, most parents assume the process works like adult court. It does not. Franklin County Juvenile Court runs on its own rules, its own timelines, and its own vocabulary. A child is not “convicted” there. A child is found “delinquent.” The decisions made in the first few days often shape how the whole case ends.
This guide walks through the juvenile court process in Franklin County. It covers police questioning, juvenile detention, each stage of the case, and what it can mean for your child’s record. For how our firm handles these cases, see our juvenile delinquency defense page.
What Happens in the First Hours After a Juvenile Arrest
Not every police contact ends in an arrest. Under the Columbus Division of Police directive on handling juveniles, officers are told to use the lowest appropriate level of enforcement. A first encounter usually ends one of three ways:
- A warning: The officer takes your child home and explains what happened.
- A summons: Your child is released, and a court date is set by the juvenile court.
- An arrest: This is meant for serious conduct, such as felonies, weapons offenses, or repeat offenses within the past year.
If your child is arrested, strict time limits apply. Police can hold a child for processing up to six hours on a felony and up to three hours on a misdemeanor. Your child must be kept out of sight and sound of adult detainees the entire time.
Before transport, officers call the county’s juvenile detention center, which decides where your child goes. Keep in mind these are Columbus police rules. In Dublin, Westerville, or another suburb, the local department’s procedures may differ.
Can Police Question Your Child Without You?
Under Ohio law, yes. Columbus police follow stricter rules.
Ohio has no general rule requiring a parent to be present when police question a minor. The Ohio Supreme Court has held that a child’s statutory right to a lawyer begins once a case reaches juvenile court. Before that point, police only need a valid Miranda waiver.
Columbus police policy goes further than the statute requires:
- After a complaint is filed: Officers must notify and consult a parent and let the child consult a lawyer before questioning about that charge.
- If no one can be reached: The child is not questioned when neither a parent nor an attorney can be contacted.
- Before a complaint is filed: Officers must contact a parent first when it is unclear whether the child is in custody or understands their rights.
The safest approach starts at home. Teach your child one sentence: “I want my parents and a lawyer before I answer questions.”
Will Your Child Be Held in Juvenile Detention?
Most children are released to a parent. Franklin County takes part in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), which keeps low-level cases out of detention. The court reports a 57% drop in detention admissions since the program began here in 2018. A child who poses a real safety risk can still be held.
When Ohio Law Allows Detention
Under Ohio Juvenile Rule 7, a child can be held before the case is decided only for specific reasons:
- Protection: The child needs protection from immediate or threatened harm.
- Flight risk: The child may run or be taken out of the court’s reach.
- No one to supervise: No parent or other adult is available to care for the child and bring them to court.
- A court order: A judge or magistrate has already ordered detention.
- Danger to others: The child is a threat to someone and is charged with an act that would be a crime for an adult.
The Detention Hearing Within 72 Hours
If your child is held, a detention hearing must take place within 72 hours or by the next court day, whichever is earlier. Without a valid reason to keep your child, the court must release them to a parent or guardian.
This hearing is often the first real chance to bring your child home. Proof of school enrollment, a stable home, and a clear supervision plan can make the difference.
Inside the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center
Children held in Franklin County go to the Juvenile Intervention Center at 399 South Front Street. Some lower-level cases go to a reception center instead. Based on the court’s own Juvenile Intervention Center FAQ, here is what to expect:
- Phone calls: You cannot call your child. Your child calls you on set days under a behavior-level system, starting with 10-minute calls twice a week.
- Visits: Visits for youth under 18 happen on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each visit lasts up to 30 minutes and must be scheduled in advance.
- School: Columbus City Schools teachers run classes on the regular district calendar. Youth can also prepare for and take the GED.
- Medical care: Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides medical and dental care, and nurses are on site daily.
- Clothing: Do not bring clothes. The facility provides uniforms, bedding, and daily clean underclothes.
- Personal property: A phone or other item taken at intake is released only with a court order.
Schedules can change, so check the court’s page before planning a visit.
How a Case Moves Through Franklin County Juvenile Court
Juvenile cases are heard by the Juvenile Branch of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas at 373 South High Street. Its Arraignment Department processes every new delinquency case and schedules the first hearings. Here is the usual path:
| Stage | What Happens | When |
| Complaint | Police or another person files a complaint, and the court opens the case. | Shortly after the arrest or summons |
| Detention hearing | Held only if the child is in detention. | Within 72 hours |
| First hearing | The child admits or denies the charge, and counsel is addressed. | At the first court appearance |
| Pretrial | Lawyers exchange evidence, file motions, and negotiate. | Varies by case |
| Adjudication | A judge or magistrate hears the evidence. There is no jury. | If the charge is denied |
| Disposition | The court decides the consequences. | After a finding of delinquency |
At adjudication, the state must prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, the same standard as adult court. Many cases never get that far, because Franklin County diversion programs can end a case before any finding of delinquency.
Does Your Child Need a Lawyer in Juvenile Court?
Yes, and Ohio’s rules make that right hard to give up. Under Ohio Juvenile Rule 3, a child charged with a felony cannot waive counsel without first meeting privately with a lawyer.
Any waiver must happen in open court, on the record, and in writing. A parent cannot waive the right for the child. In some situations, such as a conflict between the child and a parent, a lawyer is required. The court can appoint counsel, but many families choose their own attorney because early decisions shape the whole case.
Possible Outcomes If Your Child Is Found Delinquent
Juvenile court focuses on rehabilitation, not just punishment. In Franklin County, juvenile probation runs through Juvenile Community Enrichment Services (JCES). The outcome depends mostly on the level of the offense.
| Level of Offense | Possible Outcomes |
| Any delinquent act | Community control through JCES, restitution, treatment programs, or up to 90 days in a detention facility |
| Misdemeanor | Community service of up to 30 hours for a minor misdemeanor, up to 200 hours for most others, and up to 500 for a first-degree misdemeanor |
| Third, fourth, or fifth-degree felony | Possible commitment to the Ohio Department of Youth Services for at least six months, up to age 21 |
| First or second-degree felony | Possible commitment for at least one year, up to age 21 |
Commitment to the Department of Youth Services is set out in Ohio Revised Code 2152.16. A child must be at least 10 at the time of the act. For children 10 or 11, commitment is limited to the most serious offenses.
Theft and drug charges come up often in juvenile court. Our guides cover shoplifting charges in Franklin County, when theft charges can be dropped, and drug possession charges.
Can Your Child Be Tried as an Adult?
In serious cases, yes. Moving a case to adult court is called bindover.
If a child is 14 or older and charged with a felony, the juvenile court can transfer the case. First, it holds an amenability hearing to decide whether the child can still be rehabilitated in the juvenile system. For certain serious offenses, Ohio law requires transfer for 16 and 17-year-olds. Either way, a possible bindover calls for a strong defense from the first hearing.
What Parents Are Responsible For
Parents are not charged with their child’s offense. They can still face real financial and legal obligations.
Paying for Damage and Detention
Under Ohio law, a property owner can sue a parent for up to $10,000 plus court costs. That covers a child’s willful property damage or theft. The same limit applies to a willful and malicious assault. Neither claim requires a delinquency finding first.
If the court commits a child to a facility, it must order the parents to contribute to the child’s support. An adult who encourages a child’s misconduct can face a separate charge. The Meade Law Group covers it in its guide to contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Ohio.
Can a Parent Send a Child to Juvenile Detention?
Usually not. Parents can file an unruly child complaint for behavior like running away or refusing parental control. Ohio law treats that very differently from a delinquency charge.
An unruly child cannot be held in a secure correctional facility. A detention center can hold one for no more than 24 hours, or longer only over a weekend or holiday. The court often pauses the complaint while the child completes a diversion plan and treats it as a last resort.
Will a Juvenile Case Follow Your Child?
It does not have to, but the record does not disappear on its own. Many families assume juvenile records vanish at 18. They do not.
A juvenile record is sealed automatically only if the child is found not delinquent or the case is dismissed on its merits. Otherwise, the family must apply, as early as six months after the case ends.
Once a juvenile record is sealed, Ohio law expunges it after five years or at the person’s 23rd birthday, whichever comes first. The court cannot charge a filing fee for sealing or expunging a juvenile record. Our guide to record sealing and expungement in Franklin County explains the adult side of this process.
What to Do If Your Child Is Arrested in Franklin County
These steps protect your child’s case from the first night:
- Stay calm and find out where your child is: Ask the officer whether your child is being released, held at the Juvenile Intervention Center, or taken elsewhere.
- Ask that your child not be questioned: Make clear that you and a lawyer must be involved first.
- Call a lawyer before the detention hearing: There is little time, and preparation matters.
- Gather proof of stability: Bring school and attendance records, work schedules, medical information, and anything showing support at home.
- Keep the case off the phone: Do not discuss the facts with your child over facility phone lines or by text.
- Attend every hearing: Courts expect parents in the room, and a missed date can lead to a warrant.
Talk to Marcus A. Ross Law About Your Child’s Case
A juvenile case moves fast, and the first days often matter most. Marcus A. Ross began his career in 1997 as an Assistant City Prosecutor with the Columbus City Attorney’s Office. He has spent more than two decades in Franklin County courtrooms since.
At Marcus A. Ross Law, our team helps families through every stage:
- Detention hearings: Pushing for your child’s release and presenting a supervision plan the court can trust.
- Case review: Examining the arrest, any questioning, and whether your child’s rights were respected.
- Diversion and reductions: Seeking outcomes that keep a case from becoming a lasting record.
- Record sealing: Clearing a juvenile record once the case is over.
Contact Marcus A. Ross and our Franklin County team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
| Is there a minimum age for juvenile court in Ohio? | Not for filing a case. Ohio law does not set a general minimum age for a delinquency complaint. A child must be at least 10, though, to be committed to the Department of Youth Services. |
| What happens if my child turns 18 while the case is still open? | The case usually stays in juvenile court. Ohio juvenile courts keep jurisdiction over acts committed before age 18, and their supervision can continue until age 21. |
| Can we hire our own lawyer if the court already appointed one? | Yes. A family can retain private counsel at any point in the case. The appointed attorney then steps aside, and the new lawyer takes over. |
| Does a juvenile case need to be disclosed on college or job applications? | It depends on the question asked. A delinquency finding is not a criminal conviction, but some applications ask about juvenile records directly. Once a juvenile record is sealed, Ohio law generally lets a person answer as if the case never happened. |
| What if my child was arrested in a suburb like Dublin or Westerville? | Delinquency cases still go to Franklin County Juvenile Court. Some suburbs, Dublin among them, also run their own juvenile diversion programs that can resolve minor matters earlier. |
| How does Columbus’s new youth curfew affect my child? | Warnings now, citations later. Columbus updated its curfew in 2026, setting 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for teens 13 to 17, with earlier hours for younger children. Police are issuing warnings through the end of 2026, and parents can face fines of up to $50 for repeated violations. |