The Marion County Juvenile Probation Services division is located on the 3rd floor of the courthouse and is staffed with two Juvenile Probation Officers.  Juvenile Probation provides numerous services to juveniles and their families, to guide them through the court process.  Each child is assigned a Probation Officer when they are charged with a crime.  The Probation Officer would then provide pre-dispositional studies on each child before the Court on a delinquent or Child in Need of Supervision (CHINS) charge.  The Probation Officers must supervise juveniles that are under terms of probation or a consent decree.  Probation Officers report and make recommendations on a child’s progress as requested by the Judge.

Juvenile cases are in the matter of a "child" or "minor" as these terms are defined by the Alabama Juvenile Justice Act (§ § 12-15-1 through 12-15176).  An Intake Officer, according to Alabama Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Rule 12, must initiate every juvenile case.  The Intake Officer receives and evaluates juvenile complaints similarly to criminal complaints and determines whether a petition will be filed to initiate a case before the court.  Ala. Code, § 12-15-50.  The following are just a few examples of various types of juvenile cases:

• Delinquent, where a child is alleged to have committed a crime.  Ala. Code, § 12 15-30(a).
• Dependent, where a child is alleged to be subjected to abuse, neglect, a custody controversy or inadequate care.  Code, § 12-15-30(a).
• Child in need of supervision, where a child is alleged to have committed a juvenile status offense.  Ala. Code, § 12-15-30(a).
• Judicial consent for a child’s marriage, employment, enlistment or withdrawal from school.  Ala. Code, § 12-15-30(b)(2).
• Interstate Compact on Juveniles, for interstate placement of delinquent children or the return of juvenile interstate runaways, escapees or absconders.  Code, § 12-15-30(b)(3) & 44-2-1 el seq..
• Involuntary commitment of a child or minor to the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.  Code, §§ 12-15-30(b)(4), 12-15-31(4) & 12-15-90.
• Termination of parental rights to a child.  Ala. Code, § 12-15-30(b)(6) & 26-18-1 el seq..
• Emergency removal or medical treatment for a child.  Ala. Code, §12-15-30(c)(I).
• Violation of a child’s rights in public school proceedings.  Ala. Code, § 12-15 30(c)(2).
• Violation of the compulsory school attendance laws.  Ala. Code, § 16-28-21.
• Removal of disabilities of nonage of a minor.  Ala. Code, § 12-15-30(b)(2) & 2618-1 et seq..

All cases filed in the Juvenile Division are confidential in nature and are not discussed with the public.  If you need a copy of a custody order that was entered in the Juvenile Division, and you are listed as a party to the case, you must appear in person at the courthouse and present a valid photo identification before any copy can be distributed to you. 

If you need to contact a Juvenile Probation Officer, please dial 205-921-4562.