Having a child deal with a juvenile crime charge can be very difficult for you. Understandably, you may have many questions about what will happen. One of them may involve where in Mississippi your child will have to face an adjudication hearing for a criminal act.
According to the state Uniform Rules of Youth Court Practice, the answer actually varies. Moreover, it is possible at some point to change the venue where your child will attend a hearing for an offense.
The first venue
The initial adjunction for your child will happen in the county where the offense has supposedly occurred. In the event your child has alleged offenses in multiple counties, the state may choose to commence hearings in any of the counties involved.
Basically, your child might not face proceedings in the same county where he or she lives. This might cause you to travel to a different location in the state to help your child. However, at some point, this might change.
A change in venue
Once the initial adjudication is complete, it is possible for the court to transfer your child’s case to the home county of your child. Alternatively, the court may send the case to another county where another youth court had at some point attained jurisdiction. The court could carry out this transfer during any stage of the legal proceeding.
For the court to transfer the case of your child elsewhere, the court must conclude that it is in the best interest of your child. If you believe it is necessary for the wellbeing of your loved one to have the proceeding close to home, you may examine your options to help make this argument.
