Juvenile case managers work predominantly in local trial courts of limited jurisdiction (i.e., municipal and justice courts) that adjudicate Class C misdemeanors. The mandate for training standards for juvenile case managers came at a time in which local trial courts adjudicated more children than juvenile courts and district courts combined, with the passage of S.B. 61 in 2011. Juvenile cases have reduced significantly in the last ten years with the elimination of the Class C misdemeanor Failure to Attend School and changes to how school offenses are handled, but juvenile case managers remain an important part of the successful processing and adjudication of juveniles in municipal and justice courts.
Juvenile Case Managers Seminar
The Juvenile Case Managers Seminar is designed to promote job consistency across court systems, enabling JCMs to be more professionally effective and to optimize their multifaceted role in the courtroom work group. The course provides a forum to discuss how to prevent children from further involvement in the justice system and how to curb juvenile crime at the local level. The curriculum includes topics mandated by the legislature for juvenile case managers.