- Status offenses are acts prohibited by law which would not
be a crime if committed by an adult, such as truancy, running
away, tobacco possession or curfew violations.
- The two types of Status offense petitions filed by the Juvenile
Court are:
- Child in Need of Services (CHINServ)
- Child whose behavior, conduct or condition presents
or results in a serious threat to the well-being and physical
safety of the child.
- Child in Need of Supervision (CHINSup)
- Child who is habitually truant without justification
or who is a habitual runaway.
If your teenager is exhibiting these behaviors
and you would like the Court's help, you can make an appointment
with the Juvenile Intake Unit.
Their phone number is 703-246-2495 from 7am until midnight.
From midnight to 7am, please call 703-246-2844, and ask for
the Intake Officer. At the appointment, an Intake Officer will
discuss the situation and outline what options are available
to you.
According to Section 16.1-228
of the Code of Virginia, "Child in need of services"
means (i) a child whose behavior, conduct or condition presents
or results in a serious threat to the well-being and physical
safety of the child or (ii) a child under the age of 14 whose
behavior, conduct or condition presents or results in a serious
threat to the well-being and physical safety of another person;
however, no child who in good faith is under treatment solely
by spiritual means through prayer in accordance with the tenets
and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination
shall for that reason alone be considered to be a child in need
of services, nor shall any child who habitually remains away
from or habitually deserts or abandons his family as a result
of what the court or the local child protective services unit
determines to be incidents of physical, emotional or sexual
abuse in the home be considered a child in need of services
for that reason alone.
However, to find that a child falls within
these provisions, (i) the conduct complained of must present
a clear and substantial danger to the child's life or health
or to the life or health of another person, (ii) the child or
his family is in need of treatment, rehabilitation or services
not presently being received, and (iii) the intervention of
the court is essential to provide the treatment, rehabilitation
or services needed by the child or his family.
According to Section 16.1-228
of the Code of Virginia, "Child in need of supervision"
means:
- A child who, while subject to compulsory school attendance,
is habitually and without justification absent from school,
and (i) the child has been offered an adequate opportunity
to receive the benefit of any and all educational services
and programs that are required to be provided by law and which
meet the child's particular educational needs, (ii) the school
system from which the child is absent or other appropriate
agency has made a reasonable effort to effect the child's
regular attendance without success, and (iii) the school system
has provided documentation that it has complied with the provisions
of § 22.1-258;
or
- A child who, without reasonable cause and without the consent
of his parent, lawful custodian or placement authority, remains
away from or deserts or abandons his family or lawful custodian
on more than one occasion or escapes or remains away without
proper authority from a residential care facility in which
he has been placed by the court, and (i) such conduct presents
a clear and substantial danger to the child's life or health,
(ii) the child or his family is in need of treatment, rehabilitation
or services not presently being received, and (iii) the intervention
of the court is essential to provide the treatment, rehabilitation
or services needed by the child or his family.
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