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The 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office handles all the juvenile prosecutions in Mesa County.  Juvenile cases differ from adult criminal cases in that the juvenile process focuses on the best interest of the child and preventing juveniles from entering the adult criminal justice system when possible.

Juveniles are defined as persons between the age of 10 and 18.  Given the unique circumstances that often occur surrounding youth who commit crimes, the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office has a comprehensive juvenile diversion program for many first time and low level offenders.  This diversion program is an opportunity to divert their case out of the courts and gives the juvenile an opportunity to avoid having an adjudication on their record.  The 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office will screen all cases that come into the Juvenile Court system to determine if diversion is appropriate and in the best interest of both the child and the community.

For cases that do not go through the diversion program, a judge or magistrate will hear the case.  A juvenile prosecutor will be assigned the case from the District Attorney’s Office and both the juvenile and the parent(s) will be respondents to the case.  The juvenile will have the opportunity to have an attorney represent them throughout the court process. 

Jacque Berry, right, Director of Juvenile Diversion for Colorado’s 21st Judicial District, meets with Blair Parmenter, his family and his tutor with The Lighthouse Program Feb. 28 at her office in Grand Junction. (Barton Glasser, Special to The Colorado Trust)
Jacque Berry, director of juvenile diversion for Colorado’s 21st Judicial District, charts the reasons that Blair Parmeter, 15, is not turning in his homework during a meeting with Blair and his family at her office in Grand Junction. (Barton Glasser, Special to The Colorado Trust)

Jacque Berry, Juvenile Diversion Director and Lighthouse participants. ​​​​​​Courtesy The Colorado Sun 

 

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