A Message from Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Glen Welch:

Greetings and welcome to the website of the 4th Judicial District Missoula County Youth Court.

Chances are you may be reading this guide because you and your child have been asked to appear in Youth Court due to an offense allegedly committed by your child.

This document is designed to assist you in finding your way through the particulars of juvenile court in Missoula and Mineral Counties*.

What we commonly term the juvenile justice system differs substantially from the adult system in both philosophy and practice. The juvenile system is comprised of a network of agencies focused on youth who come into contact with law enforcement, including district, municipal and justice court judges, probation and parole agencies, county attorney and public defender offices, as well as juvenile detention and juvenile corrections personnel.

Rehabilitation, accountability, and competency development are the primary concerns of the juvenile court system while deterrence and prevention are the cornerstones of the adult system. For example, juveniles are found to be delinquent while adults are found guilty and subsequently, sentenced. Juveniles go through an adjudication hearing while their adult counterparts go through trial. These differences in terminology and procedures serve to mark the general way our society views the varying philosophies of rehabilitation and treatment as they relate to both juveniles and adults in our justice system.

Missoula Youth Court regularly processes both criminal and status offenses (to be defined and further discussed). In many respects, Youth Court in Missoula County  also serves as a referral service in that we utilize the expertise of many practitioners in various fields to address the specific needs presented by the youth we serve. So, for example, we may direct juveniles to attend counseling with an expert in that field for a specific set of circumstances presented by the youth.

Youth Court does not process traffic offenses or alcohol related MIP tickets (Minor in Possession of Alcohol) offenses. Justice and municipal court are charged with disposing of these violations.

The purpose of our website is to provide a broad overview of the services and policies pertinent to the daily operations and programs associated with our office. Here you will find information pertaining to our mission statement, staff, and the general manner by which we go about our daily business serving kids and families in our community.

In other sections, we offer information regarding “Frequently Asked Questions” anticipating many of the above mentioned potentially confusing topics associated with the juvenile court process. We have also included a section dedicated to commonly used court terminology. Finally, we provide visitation policies and procedures for the Missoula County Juvenile Detention Facility as well as a lengthy section on presently available community resources.

 We encourage both you and your child to peruse this guide and ask any unanswered questions of Juvenile Probation personnel or other specific court employees. 

Glen Welch

 * Mineral County is included in the Fourth Judicial District.  Missoula Youth Court provides juvenile probation related services for Mineral County. On an average of once per week, Missoula-based District Court Judges hold court in Mineral County on a rotating basis. A Missoula based Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO) supervises Mineral County probationers and also appears in court with these youths.  Mineral County youth involved with Youth Court are afforded many of the same services available to youth  based in Missoula County.