Juvenile Office
The 41st Judicial Circuit Juvenile Office serves the counties of Macon and Shelby. Officers are located in three locations to better serve the clients of the communities. The obligations of the Juvenile Office are addressed in the Missouri Statutes Chapter 211. The Juvenile Office provides assistance for youth and their families.
24-Hour Services
The Juvenile Office can be reached to provide assistance 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. The Macon Office is open Monday through Friday 8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Contact should be made at the above number. If assistance is needed at a time when the office is closed, please contact your local law enforcement agency. They will contact the Juvenile Officer on-call.
Child Abuse and Neglect
Children in need of care and custody are referred to the Juvenile Office. Many of these children are placed in temporary foster care, relative care, and sometimes residential placement to allow their families an opportunity to remedy the conditions that cause the children to be placed outside their homes.
Status Offenders
Youth who engage in behaviors that are negative, but not criminal may be determined to be Status Offenders. These offenders may be truant, runaways from home, engage in behaviors that threaten themselves or others, or refuse to follow the lawful directives of their parents. Youth who are referred to the Juvenile Office for these behaviors will be assessed to determine a course of action that will hopefully remedy the situation.
Criminal Offenders
Youth, under the age of 17 who engage in behaviors that would be criminal if they were an adult are referred to the Juvenile Office. This includes tobacco violations, conservation violations, and felony traffic violations. Youth who are 15 years of age and engage in a misdemeanor traffic violation will be referred to municipal or associate court.
Services Available
The youth and families may be referred for a variety of services depending on the needs of the youth and the family. These could include counseling, mentoring, parenting classes, tutoring, and/or drug and alcohol treatment.
Sanctions Available
The youth could be required to complete various sanctions depending on the incident. These sanctions could include probationary services, apologies, community service, restitution, and curfews. Additional sanctions could include placement outside the youth’s family in a foster home, residential treatment program, detention, and through the Division of Youth Services.
Resources
Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: 1-800-392-3738
Parental Stress Hotline: 1-800-367-2543
School Violence Hotline: 1-866-748-7047
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-784-2433
Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 1-800-356-5395