Juvenile Court

Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Linda Scott
linda.scott@hcpros.org
(513) 946-3145
Fax : (513) 946-3225

The Juvenile Division of the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of a wide array of criminal and traffic offenses. The Juvenile Division prosecutes individuals under the age of 18 charged with offenses ranging from traffic citations, unruliness and truancy to major felony offenses such as Aggravated Robbery, Rape and Aggravated Murder.

In some instances, when juveniles are charged with serious felony offenses, the offender can be indicted as a Serious Youthful Offender which allows the Juvenile Court to impose a stayed adult prison sentence which can be invoked if the offender doesn’t successfully complete their juvenile disposition. Further, when a juvenile is charged with a serious felony offense and the offender is 14 years of age or older, our juvenile prosecutors can seek to have the case transferred to adult court so that the offender is prosecuted as an adult. In addition to prosecuting individuals under the age of 18, our juvenile prosecutors also prosecute adults charged with Endangering Children or Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in limited circumstances.

The Juvenile Division, in conjunction with Juvenile Court, also administers a diversion program to allow juveniles who are first offenders and who are charged with traffic offenses or minor substance abuse related offenses to have their cases diverted and ultimately dismissed after compliance with a rehabilitative program.

Most cases in Juvenile Court are heard either before a Magistrate or one of the two Juvenile Court judges.