Alameda County Superior Court
Juvenile Delinquency Court Self Help - Participants
This page has information about:
- Judicial Officers and staff
- District Attorney
- Attorney for the minor/parents
- Interpreters
- Juvenile Probation Officers
- Parents or guardians
- Public access to the proceedings and records
What Court Personnel are Involved in a Juvenile Delinquency Case?
A judge assigned to Delinquency Court makes the determination whether the minor who appears before the court has committed a crime and if so, what care, treatment and guidance the minor will receive.
The staff in the courtroom is composed of a:
- Bailiff, who maintains order in the courtroom during the proceedings
- Courtroom clerk, who prepares a written summary of the what has occurred in court and also maintains the paper files
- Court reporter, who reports a word-for-word record of what has been said in court
Currently five full time and one part time Bench Officer sit in the Juvenile Delinquency Court:
| Department 503 | Judge Delbert Gee |
| Department 504 | Commissioner Glenn Oleon |
| Department 150 | Judge Carl Morris |
| Department 151 | Commisioner Mark Kliszewski |
| Department 134 | Commissioner Rhonda Burgess |
| Department 401 | Commissioner Claudette Brooks |
Who Prosecutes the Juvenile Delinquency Case?
In the Delinquency Court, the District Attorney and his/her deputy attorneys represent the people of the State of California. These attorneys present the case against the minor who has been accused of committing a criminal act.
The Delinquency Division of the District Attorney’s Office:
- North County 400 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Oakland, California (510) 268-7575.
- South County 2200 Fairmont Drive, Room 260B, San Leandro, California (510) 667-4470.
Who Represents the Minor and His/Her Family?
The minor and his/her parents have the right to be represented by an attorney. If the minor cannot afford an attorney, then the court will appoint one. In Alameda County, the Public Defender’s Office is normally appointed to represent the minor. If the Public Defender is unable to represent the minor because of any conflict of interest (for example, more than one minor is being accused of a crime from the same incident), a private attorney will be appointed. If at any time, the court determines that the minor’s parent can afford to pay for an attorney, the court may order the parents to pay the fees for the attorney. The address of the Delinquency Division of the Public Defender’s Office in North County is 380 Washington Street, Oakland, California and the phone number is (510) 268-7474. The address of the Delinquency Division of the Public Defender’s Office in South County is 24085 Amador Street, #200, Hayward, California ant the phone number is (510) 670-5086.
Are Interpreters Available in Juvenile Delinquency Court?
The court is required by law to provide an interpreter for a non-English speaking or hearing impaired minor. The court needs to know as soon as possible if there is a problem in understanding what is being said in court.
What Role does Juvenile Probation Officers Play?
The juvenile probation officers play many roles in Delinquency Court. When a law enforcement officer takes a minor into custody, a probation officer makes the decision whether a minor will be released. Based on the report of the police or on a crime report, the probation officer also recommends whether charges of a crime (called a petition) will be filed in the court.
A probation officer is present at all hearings to assist the court with information about a case as the court requests. If the minor is found to have committed a crime, the probation officer must prepare a social study of the minor, including recommendations for the care, treatment and guidance of the minor.
A probation officer supervises all minors who are placed on probation, either at home, in a group home, a ranch or other residential facilities. The probation department also runs and manages all local detention facilities for minors. As part of this role, the Alameda County juvenile probation department has developed many programs to help in the care, treatment and guidance of minor under their control.
The juvenile probation department is located in the Juvenile Hall Building, 2200 Fairmont Drive. The general phone number of the juvenile probation department is (510) 667-4970. There you can find out the name of the probation officer supervising a minor.
Do Parents or Guardians Attend Juvenile Delinquency Court Hearings?
Parents or guardians are required to be at court hearings. The court can use appropriate means to make sure that the parents or guardians are present. However, if the judge believes that the best interest of the minor is served to not have the parents or guardians attend or a hardship for the parents or guardians exist, the parents or guardians need not be present.
Does the Public Have Access to a Hearing and a Minor’s Record?
Generally the public is excluded from hearings. However, the court may make exceptions, if the parties have direct and justifiable interest in a particular case. In recent years the confidential nature of the hearings has been slowly eroded. Currently if a minor is charged with certain serious felony crimes in Delinquency Court, the public can be allowed in the courtroom. Some of the crimes that would fall within the category of serious felonies are murder, arson, robbery, serious sex charges, weapons charges, burglary, certain drugs, gang activity, kidnap and torture.
Even though the law does allow public access in the above instance, the minor can request that the public and press be excluded if there is a reasonable likelihood that access would prevent the minor from receiving a fair and impartial trial. A victim may also request that the public and press be excluded from a hearing where he/she is testifying, especially if the person was a victim of a sexual crime and under the age of 16. On the other hand, a witness can request that individuals be allowed access to the hearing to offer support during the time the witness is testifying.
The law on access to the minor’s records strictly lists the people who have the right to look at certain documents. Others not specifically named in the list may ask to view the records. A request must show that the benefit to the public outweighs the harm access will cause to the minor, victims, witnesses or the public as a whole. In addition for certain serious felony crimes, the police may disclose the minor’s name if the minor is 14 or older.