Juvenile

Overview

The Juvenile Division of the Stark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office handles the prosecution of all juvenile cases in the county, including traffic violations, status offenses, misdemeanor and felony criminal offenses.  The Juvenile Division is also responsible for the prosecution of adults for certain criminal offenses involving juveniles, including Contributing to the Unruliness or Delinquency of a Minor, Failure to Send a Child to School and some types of Child Endangering.  The Assistant Prosecutors are involved in every aspect of these cases from reviewing and filing complaints to arraignment, pretrial, plea or trial and disposition.

The Juvenile Division handles approximately 4,500 cases per year.  Some cases are referred to diversion programs such as Informal Hearings or Teen Court (suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) All other cases are filed with the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Family Court Division, also referred to as Juvenile Court.  These cases are heard before a Judge or Magistrate.

Over the years, increases in the incidence and severity of juvenile crime have prompted changes in Ohio law governing juveniles.  Serious felony offenders may be subject to “bindover” or transfer of jurisdiction from Juvenile Court to the Court of Common Pleas General Division for prosecution as an adult, or to Serious Youth Offender designation and “blended sentencing” where the juvenile receives a juvenile disposition as well as an adult sentence, which can be served if the juvenile fails to comply with the juvenile disposition.

Child Abuse Protection

One assistant prosecutor is assigned to handle all cases involving victims of child abuse or child sexual assault perpetrated by juveniles.  That assistant prosecutor is a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Task Force and participates in weekly Team Review meetings to review cases referred by the Department of Job and Family Services or local law enforcement agencies.  The assistant prosecutor works closely with a specialized victim advocate throughout the legal process, including meeting with child victims and their families at the Child Advocacy Center, a child friendly facility housing investigators, social workers, medical and mental health care professionals.  The specialized assistant prosecutor handles the cases from arraignment, through pretrial, trial, sentencing or “disposition” and juvenile sex offender registration if applicable.

If you have concerns regarding child abuse, please call (330) 455-5437.

A juvenile has the right to an attorney for every hearing.  Those who cannot afford an attorney have the right to an attorney. 

Filing a complaint against a juvenile 

Complaints must be filed with the police department where the alleged act took place.

The Stark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is not an intake service. The information contained on this website is provided as a courtesy and does not constitute legal advice. If you have matters concerning a juvenile, contact your local police department. If it is an emergency, call 911.

Ohio Victims' Rights Laws (Also Known as Marsy's Law)

Marsy’s Law, named for Marsy Nicholas who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 1983, was enacted by voters in November 2017 as an amendment to Ohio's Constitution. California was the first state to adopt Marsy's Law in 2008; Ohio is the sixth state to adopt the constitutional amendment, also known as the Ohio Crime Victim's Bill of Rights. For a list of rights, please click here.

Brochures

• Internet Safety
• Say No! to Bullying
• Parent Liability for Delinquent Acts of Juvenile

Miscellaneous Links

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Cyber Tip http://www.missingkids.com/cybertipline/  To report child pornography and/or sexual exploitation of children, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Cyber Tip line at www.cybertipline.com
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org