About us

The Juvenile Office is a division of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court located in Harrisonville, MO and Warrensburg, MO. We specialize in dealing with children under the age of eighteen years for delinquency and child abuse and neglect matters. The Juvenile Office is designed to provide protection, education, guidance, treatment and rehabilitation to the juveniles located within our community. Below is our process for intake calls, and the definition of a referral.

What is a referral?

A referral is a written report or statement that alleges that a juvenile has come under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. For delinquency cases, these referrals come from law enforcement but can also generate from schools or parent voluntary statements. For child abuse and neglect purposes, referrals come from Children's Division, Law Enforcement or from other Juvenile Courts. 

When a referral is submitted, it should contain the following information: juvenile's name, date of birth, address, parent or guardian's name, reporter's name and information explaining the allegations. In emergency situations, referrals came come in verbal form but must be reduced to writing as soon as possible and sent to the respective office that will be handing the referral.

Intake Process

Once a referral is received by the office, it is reviewed for legal sufficiency by an attorney within the office. If the referral is not legally sufficient, there is no action taken on that referral or a request for more information will be sent to the reporting party.

When there is no action taken on a referral, it is closed and the family is informed that the referral is not being acted upon. If the referral has legal sufficiency, it is assigned to a Deputy Juvenile Officer.

For delinquency referrals, either a petition is filed for formal services, if the offense is of a serious nature and should be brought before the Juvenile Court Judge, or the Juvenile Officer contacts the family to offer informal services, if the offense is a status offense or a misdemeanor and should not be brought in front of the Juvenile Court Judge. For child abuse and neglect, a petition is filed and the Juvenile Officer assigned will contact the parents to inform them of their upcoming court date, which occurs within three business days.

Services