Judicial Assistant Written Practice Exam

A jurisdictional hearing is the appropriate setting to determine if the allegations in a juvenile petition can be sustained. At this stage, the court evaluates the evidence presented to decide whether the claims made against the juvenile are valid and whether the juvenile committed the alleged acts. This hearing focuses specifically on the facts of the case and whether the state has sufficient evidence to affirm that the juvenile should be found to have violated the law.

During a jurisdictional hearing, if the court sustains the petition, it means that the allegations are substantiated, and the case can proceed to the next steps, such as a disposition hearing where consequences or rehabilitation efforts will be determined. This distinguishes the jurisdictional hearing from others, such as a fitness hearing, which relates to whether a juvenile should be tried as an adult, or a disposition hearing, which deals with what outcome or treatment is appropriate for a juvenile found to have committed an offense.