Los Padrinos Juvenile Court Downey Los Angeles Juvenile Hall

Los Padrinos Juvenile Court Location

Los Padrinos Juvenile Courthouse and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall are located at 7285 Quill Drive in Downey, CA 90242.   Los Padrinos Juvenile Court is made up of only three courtrooms.   Department 250, Department 251, and Department 252 is staffed by the presiding Judge.    Upon entering Los Padrinos all minors, parents, family, and visitors will pass through a metal detector at security.   Just to the left of security is a waiting area and just to the right is the juvenile clerk’s office.   Minors and their parents or guardians are called into court for their cases one at a time because juvenile court is designed to be a confidential proceeding.

Los Padrinos Court is located in Downey just off Imperial Highway near Los Amigos public golf course.   The facility is just north of the Downey Superior Courthouse.     The nearest freeways are the 710 to the West and the 105 to the South.    The Los Padrinos Juvenile Court is also accessible from the 605 freeway.      Parking next to the facility is available for $5 at the guard shack next to the golf course.  Free parking is also available just outside the facility, but these spaces fill up fast.  You can park in the nearby residential areas and walk to the courthouse as well.

Los Padrinos Juvenile Court Proceedings

Proceedings in California juvenile court follow a similar timeline to adult criminal matters but juvenile court has it’s own language.   All proceeding are initiated by the filing of a petition under Welfare and Institutions Code 602, or WIC 602.   The petition will set forth the specific violation of the California Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, etc that your child is alleged to have violated.   The first hearing for a juvenile case is not called an arraignment.  In juvenile court this first date is known as a detention hearing.  At this hearing the judge will decide whether or not your child needs to remain “detained” or in custody at the juvenile facility pending the outcome of the case.   Subsequent settlement hearings are known as pretrials and if a trial is necessary the case will be proceed to a jurisdiction and disposition hearing.   Serious juvenile crimes can be sent to adult court under WIC 707.      Minors with a limited criminal history may be able to avoid becoming a ward of the court and stay out of the system by taking advantage of the provisions for diversion in WIC 654, WIC 702, and WIC 790.

For minors who are at least 16 years of age, it is possible for a juvenile case to qualify as a “Strike” under California’s 3 strikes law.   The significance of a strike prior can not be overstated.   Many children become permanent members of the California Prison system based on these types of charges.   If your child is facing a strike offense in juvenile court it is critical to look beyond the custody time at camp or juvenile hall and consider the long term consequences of a strike prior.      Anyone with a child or family member facing a petition at Los Padrinos Juvenile Court should contact a lawyer experienced with California Juvenile Court proceedings immediately for a detailed consultation.