State ex rel. Juvenile Department v. Fitch

The determinative question in this case is whether a person can be guilty of hindering the prosecution of a juvenile for conduct for which the juvenile cannot be prosecuted criminally. The answer to that question is no.

It is important to make clear at the outset the narrow question that the case presents. It concerns the treatment of people who interfere with the state’s ability to adjudicate and treat juveniles in the juvenile court system for conduct for which the juveniles, at the time of the interference, cannot be prosecuted criminally. If a person interferes with the state’s ability to…