Court Services

“Providing Opportunities for Success”

The Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau is responsible for receiving, evaluating and determining appropriate action pertaining to persons under the age of eighteen(18), found within Oklahoma County and alleged to be delinquent or in need of supervision. Additionally, the Bureau carries out orders of the Juvenile Division of the District Court and serves all process regarding juvenile matters.

In most cases, the Intake Unit is the first contact that a juvenile has with the Juvenile Justice System after the police department. The Intake Diversion Unit has variety of duties but the five (5) primary responsibilities of the unit are: conducting preliminary inquiries on new referrals, screening detention admission requests, supervising deferred filing caseloads, conducting certification studies and the Homebound Program, an alternative to secure detention.

After receipt of each referral, the Intake Officer arranges an appointment with the defendant (juvenile) and the parents/legal guardians to conduct a mandatory pre-adjudication interview. The interview consists of discussing the offense(s), gathering information regarding school, friends, behaviors, parental information, etc. After this interview, the officer will make a recommendation to the District Attorney as to whether they believe the juvenile would benefit from a non-judicial program, or, if charges need to be filed and the youth referred to the Court for formal action.

Intake Officers are available twenty-four (24) hours a day to receive and screen calls from various law enforcement agencies within Oklahoma County requesting admission of a juvenile to the detention facility. The detention screening process is made up of reviewing and evaluating the juvenile's current offense, past history, protection of the community and whether the juvenile would be available to the court, when so ordered.

As an alternative to filing a charge against the juvenile, the Intake Officer may in certain cases, design and monitor a Deferred Filing Agreement with the juvenile, the parents and the District Attorney. The Intake Officer's main responsibility is to assist the juvenile and family in identifying problem areas, set up programs to help correct these problems by facilitating the family's participation in these programs. This process is provided to correct the negative behavior while providing consequences for the commission of the offense(s).

Certification studies are conducted at the order of the court. The certification hearing is conducted when the District Attorney has filed a "motion for certification" on a juvenile and the court has found prosecutable merit in the case. It is a study to help the court determine if the juvenile should be handled as an adult. These studies are done in conjunction with a psychological study performed by a psychologist. These studies speak to the type of offense that was committed, past history, age and rehabilitative possibilities of the juvenile.

1. Murder in the second degree
2. Kidnapping for the purpose of extortion
3. Manslaughter in the first degree
4. Robbery with a dangerous weapon (or attempt)
5. Robbery with Firearm (or attempt)
6. Rape in the first degree (or attempt)
7. Rape by instrumentation (or attempt)
8. Forcible Sodomy
9. Lewd Molestation
10. Arson in the first degree (or attempt)
11. Shooting with intent to kill
12. Discharging a firearm, crossbow, or other weapon from a vehicle
13. Battery or assault and battery or aggravated assault and battery upon an employee of a state facility for delinquent children

1. Burglary in the first degree (or attempt)
2. Aggravated assault and battery on a Police Officer
3. Intimidating a witness
4. Trafficking in, or manufacturing illegal drugs
5. Assault or Assault and Battery with a Deadly Weapon
6. Maiming
7. Residential burglary II after two or more delinquent adjudications for residential burglary II or burglary I
8. Rape in the second degree