State Ex Rel. Juvenile Department v. Smith

ORS chapter 419 governs juvenile court proceedings. ORS 419.476(1) provides in part:

“The juvenile court has exclusive original jurisdiction in any case involving a person who is under 18 years of age and:

“(c) Whose behavior, condition or circumstances are such as to endanger the welfare of the person or the welfare of others[.]”

In this case, we consider two issues: (1) What is required to establish juvenile court jurisdiction under ORS 419.476(l)(c) of a child whose condition or circumstances are such as to endanger the child’s welfare, and (2) was it proper for the juvenile court, under that…