Title 37, Juveniles

(a) The judge has authority to appoint one (1) or more probation officers who shall receive such salary as shall be fixed by the county legislative body or as otherwise provided by law. (b) For the purpose of carrying out the objectives and purposes of this part and subject to th…

(a) Each county with a population of more than twenty thousand (20,000), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, may establish a full-time youth services officer to assist the court sitting as a juvenile court in relation to cases coming before the …

(a) (1) The judge of the juvenile court may appoint one (1) or more suitable persons to act as magistrates at the pleasure of the judge. A magistrate shall be a member of the bar and may qualify and shall hold office at the pleasure of the judge. The compensation of a magistrate …

(1) A proceeding under this part may be commenced:(1) By transfer of a case from another court as provided in § 37-1-109;(2) As provided in § 37-1-146 in a proceeding charging the violation of a traffic offense;(3) By the court accepting jurisdiction as provided in § 37-1-142 or …

(a) If it appears to the court in a criminal proceeding that the defendant is a child, the court shall forthwith transfer the case to the juvenile court, together with a copy of the accusatory pleading and other papers, documents and transcripts of testimony relating to the case.…

(a) (1) Before or after a petition is filed, a designated court officer may informally resolve a complaint containing delinquent or unruly allegations without adjudication by giving counsel and advice to the child if such informal resolution would be in the best interest of the p…

(a) A proceeding under this part may be commenced in the county in which the child resides. (b) If delinquent or unruly conduct is alleged, the proceeding may be commenced in the county in which the acts constituting the alleged delinquent or unruly conduct occurred. (c) If depen…

(a) If the child resides in a county of this state and the proceeding is commenced in a court of another county, the court, on motion of a party or on its own motion after a finding of fact, may transfer the proceeding to the county of the child's residence for further action. Li…

(a) A child may be taken into custody:(1) Pursuant to an order of the court under this part;(2) Pursuant to the laws of arrest;(3) By a law enforcement officer, social worker of the department of human services, or duly authorized officer of the court, if there are reasonable gro…

(a) A child taken into custody shall not be detained or placed in shelter care prior to the hearing on the petition unless there is probable cause to believe that the child:(1) Has committed the delinquent or unruly act with which the child is charged; or(2) Is a neglected, depen…

(a) A person taking a child into custody shall within a reasonable time:(1) Release the child to such child's parents, guardian or other custodian upon a promise by such person or persons to bring the child before the court when requested by the court unless such child's detentio…

(a) A child alleged to be delinquent or unruly may be detained only in:(1) A licensed foster home or a home approved by the court;(2) A facility operated by a licensed child care agency;(3) A detention home or center for delinquent children that is under the direction or supervis…

(a) (1) If a child alleged to have committed a delinquent or unruly act is brought before the court or delivered to a detention facility designated by the court, the intake or other authorized officer of the court shall immediately make an investigation and release the child unle…

Upon application of a party, the court or the clerk of the court shall issue, or the court on its own motion may issue, subpoenas requiring attendance and testimony of witnesses and production of papers at any hearing under this part.

The petition may be made by any person, including a law enforcement officer, who has knowledge of the facts alleged or is informed and believes that they are true.

(a) All petitions shall be verified and may be on information and belief. (b) Petitions that allege a delinquent or unruly offense; educational neglect when filed on behalf of a school; child abuse prosecutions, pursuant to §§ 37-1-412 and 39-15-401; nonsupport of children, pursu…

Service of process for juvenile court proceedings may be completed by any individual authorized to serve process under the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure or the Tennessee Rules of Juvenile Procedure, including, but not limited to, a sheriff, constable, or private process serv…

(a) After the petition has been filed, the clerk shall schedule a time for a hearing and issue summonses to the parties. In case a summons cannot be served or the party served fails to obey the same, and in any case where it is made to appear to the court that such summons will b…

Detention shall not be ordered as a disposition under § 37-1-132, and neither a child nor that child's attorney may waive the detention-related prohibitions of that section, including as part of any pre-adjudication agreements.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (d), hearings pursuant to this part shall be conducted by the court without a jury, in an informal but orderly manner, separate from other proceedings not included in § 37-1-103. (b) The district attorney general or city or county attorney, or…

(a) If, after reasonable effort, a party cannot be found, or the party's postal address cannot be ascertained, regardless of whether the party is within this state, the court may order service of the summons upon the party by publication in accordance with §§ 21-1-203 and 21-1-20…

(a) (1) A child is entitled to representation by legal counsel at all stages of any delinquency proceedings or proceedings alleging unruly conduct that place the child in jeopardy of being removed from the home pursuant to § 37-1-132(b) and is entitled to a guardian ad litem for …

(a) A party is entitled to the opportunity to introduce evidence and otherwise be heard in the party's own behalf and to cross-examine adverse witnesses. (b) A child charged with a delinquent act need not be a witness against self-interest or otherwise engage in self-incriminatio…

(a) (1) When a child alleged to be delinquent or unruly is brought before the court, the court may notify a probation officer attached to the court or any such person, persons or agencies available to the court, or to the department of children's services, and it shall be their d…

(a) (1) If a child alleged to be delinquent or unruly enters a plea of guilty or no contest, or after an adjudicatory hearing, the court may defer further proceedings and place the child on judicial diversion and probation subject to reasonable conditions, which may include compl…

(a) If the child is found to be dependent or neglected, the court may make any of the following orders of disposition best suited to the protection and physical, mental and moral welfare of the child:(1) Subject to the restrictions of § 37-1-129(c), permit the child to remain wit…

(a) If the child is found to be a delinquent child, the court may make any of the following orders of disposition best suited to the child's treatment, rehabilitation and welfare:(1) Subject to conditions and limitations as the court prescribes, transfer temporary legal custody o…

(a) If the child is found to be an unruly child, the court may make such disposition as authorized by this section or § 37-1-131(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(6), or (b) that is best suited to such child's treatment. However, no child found to be an unruly child may be placed on probation u…

(a) Except as provided in § 37-1-190, an order of disposition or other adjudication in a proceeding under this part is not a conviction of crime and does not impose any civil disability ordinarily resulting from a conviction or operate to disqualify the child in any state service…

(a) After a petition has been filed alleging delinquency based on conduct that is designated a crime or public offense under the laws, including local ordinances, of this state, the court, before hearing the petition on the merits, may transfer the child to the sheriff of the cou…

If, at a dispositional hearing or at a hearing to transfer a child under § 37-1-134, there is reason to believe the child may be suffering from mental illness or is developmentally disabled, the court may proceed under § 37-1-128(c).

(a) (a) All reports and materials compiled by the juvenile court in connection with an assessment report shall be confidential, shall not be public record, and shall not be disclosed, except as specifically authorized by this section. Except for purposes directly connected with t…

(a) (1) (A) An order of the juvenile court committing a delinquent child to the custody of the department of children's services shall be for an indefinite time.(B) If a juvenile offender is tried and adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court for the offense of first degree murder…

(a) The parent or other person who is the physical custodian of a juvenile shall reimburse the state for any expenses incurred by the state in returning such juvenile to the department if:(1) The juvenile is in the legal custody of the department of children's services;(2) The ju…

(a) Except as provided in § 36-1-113(q), an order of the court shall be set aside if it appears that:(1) It was obtained by fraud or mistake sufficient to satisfy the legal requirements in any other civil action;(2) The court lacked jurisdiction over a necessary party or of the s…

(a) A custodian to whom legal custody has been given by the court under this part has the right to the physical custody of the child, the right to determine the nature of the care and treatment of the child, including ordinary medical care and the right and duty to provide for th…

(a) If the court finds that a child who has been adjudged to have committed a delinquent act or to be unruly or dependent or neglected is or is about to become a resident of another state, the court may defer a hearing on need for the treatment or rehabilitation and disposition a…

(a) If a juvenile court of another state requests a juvenile court of this state to accept jurisdiction of a child found by the requesting court to have committed a delinquent act or to be an unruly or dependent or neglected child, and the court of this state finds, after investi…

Subject to the provisions of this part governing dispositions and to the extent that funds of the county are available, the court may place a child in the custody of a suitable person in another state. On obtaining the written consent of a juvenile court of another state, the cou…

(a) Upon receiving a request of a juvenile court of another state to provide supervision of a child under the jurisdiction of that court, a court of this state may issue its written acceptance to the requesting court and designate its probation or other appropriate officer who is…

If a child has been placed on probation or protective supervision by a juvenile court of another state and the child is in this state with or without the permission of that court, the probation officer of that court or other person designated by that court to supervise or take cu…

(a) All cases of alleged traffic violations by children coming within this part shall be heard and disposed of upon a traffic ticket or citation signed by a law enforcement officer that describes in general terms the nature of the violation. Such cases may be disposed of through …

(a) The juvenile court shall be authorized to terminate the rights of a parent or guardian to a child upon the grounds and pursuant to the procedures set forth in title 36, chapter 1, part 1. (b) Upon entering an order to terminate parental or guardian rights to a child, the cour…

(a) A minor commits illegal use of a telecommunication device who:(1) Intentionally or knowingly, by use of a telecommunication device, transmits, distributes, publishes, or disseminates a photograph, video, or other material that contains a sexually explicit image of a minor or …

(a) (1) The court at any stage of a proceeding under this part, on application of a party or on its own motion, shall appoint a guardian ad litem for a child who is a party to the proceeding if such child has no parent, guardian or custodian appearing on such child's behalf or su…

(a) The following expenses may be a charge upon the funds of the county upon certification thereof by the court:(1) The cost of medical and other examinations and treatment of a child that is ordered by the court. The cost of outpatient mental health evaluations under § 37-1-128(…