Category: Juvenile Law

While those minors that wind up in dependency court are also often appearing in delinquency court, the two courts have quite different functions. Delinquency courts hear cases about minors who have been charged with crimes and that many of them are also referred to Arizona dependency court because they are either in the child protective services system run by the Arizona Department of Children’s Services (DCS) or their parents have been accused of neglect or abuse by DCS. While delinquency court must balance what is in the child’s best interests and the interests of public safety, as another component of the Arizona Juvenile Court System, dependency court aims only to preserve the child’s best interests. It investigates DCS findings, determines whether/how long each child should stay in the service’s custody, and, if necessary, places the child in a foster or group home, with a relative, or even in a shelter to protect them from parental abuse. A dependency hearing in Arizona is a court proceeding in which a judge hears evidence to determine whether a child should be removed from his or her home and placed in the custody of DCS or whether the child should remain away from the