Juvenile-in-Need-of-Supervision and Juvenile Offender
Life is not easy for anyone but it can be particularly difficult for young people. Sometimes young people, like adults, make mistakes that violate the laws of the Tribe. The Tribe recognizes that when juveniles violate the law, their youth and inexperience require that the Tribe use a different approach to address these mistakes.
The Tribe has passed laws governing criminal or status offenses committed by juveniles which are set forth at WOTC § 5.401 et seq. LTBB Tribal Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for presenting juvenile-in-need-of-supervision petitions and juvenile offender petitions.
A juvenile-in-need of supervision is a juvenile who has committed a status offense, i.e. truancy, curfew violations, failure to obey the lawful commands of parents, teachers, guardians, etc. Juvenile-in-need of supervision cases are typically started when the Tribal Prosecutor receives a report from the Tribal Police, or from a referring agency, i.e. a school.
A juvenile offender is a juvenile who has committed an act or omission which violates the Tribe’s criminal law. Juvenile offender cases are typically started in the same manner that a criminal case is started, usually by the filing of a complaint with Tribal law enforcement. The Tribal Prosecutor may petition Tribal Court to transfer a juvenile offender case to adult court if the juvenile is at least 14 years old.
