<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<section article="gcj" article_name="Courts and Judicial Proceedings" number="3-8A-01" title_number="3" title_name="Courts of General Jurisdiction -- Jurisdiction/special Causes of Action" subtitle_number="8A" subtitle_name="Juvenile Causes -- Children Other Than Cinas and Adults">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated, unless the context of their use indicates otherwise.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>“Adjudicatory hearing” means a hearing under this subtitle to determine whether the allegations in the petition, other than allegations that the child requires treatment, guidance, or rehabilitation, are true.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>“Adult” means an individual who is at least 18 years old.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Child” means an individual under the age of 18 years.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>“Child in need of supervision” is a child who requires guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation and:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Is required by law to attend school and is habitually truant;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Is habitually disobedient, ungovernable, and beyond the control of the person having custody of him;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Deports himself so as to injure or endanger himself or others; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Has committed an offense applicable only to children.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>“Citation” means the written form issued by a police officer which serves as the initial pleading against a child for a violation and which is adequate process to give the court jurisdiction over the person cited.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>“Commit” means to transfer legal custody.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Community detention” means a program monitored by the Department of Juvenile Services in which a delinquent child or a child alleged to be delinquent is placed in the home of a parent, guardian, custodian, or other fit person, or in shelter care, as a condition of probation or as an alternative to detention.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Community detention” includes electronic monitoring.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>“Competency hearing” means a hearing under this subtitle to determine whether a child alleged to be delinquent is mentally competent to participate in a waiver hearing under § 3–8A–06 of this subtitle, an adjudicatory hearing under § 3–8A–18 of this subtitle, a disposition hearing under § 3–8A–19 of this subtitle, or a violation of probation hearing.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>“Court” means the circuit court for a county sitting as the juvenile court.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>“Custodian” means a person or agency to whom legal custody of a child has been given by order of the court, other than the child’s parent or legal guardian.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="l">
    <text>“Delinquent act” means an act which would be a crime if committed by an adult.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="m">
    <text>“Delinquent child” is a child who has committed a delinquent act and requires guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="n">
    <text>“Detention” means the temporary care of children who, pending court disposition, require secure custody for the protection of themselves or the community, in physically restricting facilities.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="o">
    <text>“Developmental disability” means a severe chronic disability of a child that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Is attributable to a physical or mental impairment, other than the sole diagnosis of mental illness, or to a combination of mental and physical impairments;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Is likely to continue indefinitely;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Results in an inability to live independently without external support or continuing and regular assistance; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment, or other services that are individually planned and coordinated for the child.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="p">
    <text>“Disposition hearing” means a hearing under this subtitle to determine:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Whether a child needs or requires guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation; and, if so</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The nature of the guidance, treatment, or rehabilitation.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="q">
    <text>“Incompetent to proceed” means that a child is not able to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Understand the nature or object of the proceeding; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Assist in the child’s defense.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="r">
    <text>“Intake officer” means the person assigned to the court by the Department of Juvenile Services to provide the intake services set forth in this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="s">
    <text>“Intellectual disability” means a developmental disability that is evidenced by intellectual functioning that is significantly below average and impairment in the adaptive behavior of a child.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="t">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Mental disorder” means a behavioral or emotional illness that results from a psychiatric or neurological disorder.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Mental disorder” includes a mental illness that so substantially impairs the mental or emotional functioning of a child as to make care or treatment necessary or advisable for the welfare of the child or for the safety of the child or property of another.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Mental disorder” does not include an intellectual disability.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="u">
    <text>“Mentally handicapped child” means a child who has or may have an intellectual disability or a mental disorder.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="v">
    <text>“Party” includes a child who is the subject of a petition or a peace order request, the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian, the petitioner and an adult who is charged under § 3–8A–30 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="w">
    <text>“Peace order proceeding” means a proceeding under § 3–8A–19.2 or § 3–8A–19.4 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="x">
    <text>“Peace order request” means the initial pleading filed with the court under § 3–8A–19.1 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="y">
    <text>“Petition” means the pleading filed with the court under § 3–8A–13 of this subtitle alleging that a child is a delinquent child or a child in need of supervision or that an adult violated § 3–8A–30 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="z">
    <text>“Qualified expert” means a licensed psychologist or licensed psychiatrist who:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Has expertise in child development, with training in the forensic evaluation of children, as approved by the Secretary of Health;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Is familiar with the competency standards contained in this subtitle; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Is familiar with the treatment, training, and restoration programs for children that are available in this State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="aa">
    <text>“Respondent” means the individual against whom a petition or a peace order request is filed.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="bb">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Shelter care” means the temporary care of children in physically unrestricting facilities.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Shelter care” does not mean care in a State mental health facility.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="cc">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Victim” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>A person who suffers direct or threatened physical, emotional, or financial harm as a result of a delinquent act; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>An individual against whom an act specified in § 3–8A–19.1(b) of this subtitle is committed or alleged to have been committed.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Victim” includes a family member of a minor, disabled, or a deceased victim.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Victim” includes, if the victim is not an individual, the victim’s agent or designee.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="dd">
    <text>“Violation” means a violation for which a citation is issued under:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>§ 5–601 of the Criminal Law Article involving the use or possession of cannabis;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>§ 10–113, § 10–114, § 10–115, or § 10–116 of the Criminal Law Article;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>§ 10–132 of the Criminal Law Article;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>§ 10–136 of the Criminal Law Article; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>§ 26–103 of the Education Article.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="ee">
    <text>“Witness” means any person who is or expects to be a State’s witness.</text>
  </level>
</section>
