Advanced Communication Technology: Any communication equipment that is used as a link between parties in physically separate locations and includes, but is not limited to, systems providing for two-way simultaneous audio-visual communication, closed circuit television, telephone and facsimile equipment, and electronic mail.

Delinquency Allegation: The document completed by a law enforcement officer or other person that is necessary to allege a juvenile has committed an act of delinquency. It is synonymous with a “court referral,” though written allegation is the preferred language.

Dependency Allegation: The document alleging that a child is without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care or control necessary for his/her physical, mental, or emotional health.

Detention: A secure holding facility utilized to detain a juvenile temporarily. The term detention when used in this report does not include shelter care.

Disposition: The action/decision implemented or treatment plan decided upon by a juvenile court in response to a delinquency allegation. This is similar to the sentence imposed in criminal court.

Disposition Review Hearing: Hearing that must occur every 6 months for juveniles under court supervision for the purpose of ensuring that the juvenile is receiving necessary treatment and services and that the terms and conditions of the disposition are being met. In this report, disposition review hearings involving out-of-home placement are referred to as placement review hearings (see definition below).

Juvenile: A person who has attained ten years of age and is not yet twenty-one years of age who is alleged to have, upon or after the juvenile’s tenth birthday, committed a delinquent act before reaching eighteen years of age or who is alleged to have violated the terms of juvenile probation prior to termination of juvenile court supervision.

Out-of-Home Placement (or Placement): An out-of-home program utilized as a juvenile court disposition. Included in this definition are placements into group homes, general residential programs, secure residential care, foster care, drug and alcohol programs, residential treatment facilities (RTF), Youth Development Centers (YDC), and Youth Forestry Camps (YFC).

Placement Review Hearing: Hearing that must occur every 6 months for juveniles residing in out-of-home placement for the purpose of ensuring that the juvenile is receiving necessary treatment and services and that the terms and conditions of the placement disposition are being met.