Decisions About Offenses
If a juvenile's offense is too serious for diversion, or if the juvenile's prior record of delinquency rules out diversion, the case must be adjudicated. Adjudication is the process by which a judge decides whether a juvenile should be found to have committed a delinquent offense. Juveniles who are found to have committed an offense are not "convicted of a crime"; they are "adjudicated delinquent." Juveniles do not have a right to a jury trial, a right to bail or a right to indictment.