It is late. Your phone rings, and a voice you do not recognize tells you your son or daughter has been arrested and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center. Your stomach drops. You want to get in the car, you want answers, and you want your child home tonight.
Take one breath before you do anything else. The next several hours follow a set process. Once you know how it works, you stop guessing and start helping.
Where your child is right now
Every child arrested in Miami-Dade County is brought to the Juvenile Assessment Center, known as the JAC. Miami-Dade County describes the JAC as the central processing, referral and evaluation center for all juveniles arrested in the county, and it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To confirm whether your child is there, the county lists 305-755-6130 on its admission process page.
When you get through, write down the arresting agency, the charge listed, the officer’s name if you can get it, and the time your child was taken into custody. That last detail matters more than most parents realize, as you will see below.
What happens inside the JAC
The county’s published admission process describes the steps. Staff first ask about injuries, pain or any medical emergency. Your child is searched, and personal items such as a phone, jewelry or a backpack are taken and stored. Fingerprints and photographs are taken. Then comes an assessment that looks at legal status, risk, substance use and mental health needs.
The county says processing can take up to six hours, depending on the seriousness of the charge, how many children are being processed and the court calendar. If your child takes medication, has asthma, diabetes or a disability, or needs an interpreter, tell staff right away. Keep that call about your child’s needs. It is not the moment to argue about what happened.
Release or detention: the decision that matters tonight
At the end of processing, the assessment drives one of two outcomes. Your child is released to a parent, guardian or other responsible adult with a notice to appear in court. Or your child meets the criteria for secure detention and is transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice detention center.
Florida Statute 985.101(3) requires the person taking a child into custody to attempt to notify a parent, guardian or legal custodian, and the Department of Juvenile Justice must keep trying if that first attempt fails. Keep your phone on and charged. If you miss a call, return it through a number you have verified with the agency.
The 24-hour hearing
If your child is held, Florida Statute 985.255 requires a detention hearing within 24 hours after the child was taken into custody. This is why the time of arrest matters. A judge decides whether there is a legal basis to keep your child in detention while the case moves forward. It is not the trial, and nobody decides guilt that day.
Juvenile delinquency cases here are part of the Unified Family Court Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. The hearing comes fast, and many families meet a lawyer for the first time in the hallway that morning. It does not have to happen that way.
Bring the judge a plan, not a promise
Judges listen to specifics. Telling the court your child is a good kid is natural, but it carries less weight than a clear plan. Before the hearing, know:
- Who will be home with your child after school and at night.
- The address where your child will live.
- Your child’s school schedule and how your child will get there.
- The name and number of any counselor, doctor or treatment provider already involved.
Tell the lawyer about your work schedule and anything at home that could make a condition hard to follow. Offer only the supervision you can truly provide. A plan that falls apart in two weeks creates a new problem.
Protect your child’s words
Florida Statute 985.033 gives a child the right to a lawyer in delinquency proceedings. Frightened children often talk to make the fear stop. Teach your child one sentence: “I want to remain silent. I want a lawyer.” Whether police can question a child without a parent present is its own subject, covered in our article on police questioning of children in Florida.
At home, do not help your child build a story, delete messages or contact other children involved. Save texts, photos and the names of witnesses, and give them to the lawyer privately. Calls from detention may be recorded, so keep any talk about the facts for your attorney.
Who will be standing next to your child
Our juvenile team includes lawyers who have worked in Miami-Dade’s courts as a judge, a prosecutor and a public defender. Stephen Millan, Esq. is a former Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge who presided over hundreds of criminal and juvenile cases, and a former Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney. Arthur Spiegel, Esq. is a former Miami-Dade Assistant Public Defender in the juvenile and criminal divisions who has represented hundreds of juveniles in criminal cases, with more than 40 years of experience. Jorge E. Alonso, Esq. has defended the accused in Miami-Dade state and federal courts for more than 40 years, has tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict and has represented juvenile respondents in delinquency cases. Jonathan Ibáñez, Esq., a bilingual criminal defense trial lawyer and a native of South Florida, served as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem in Broward County, where he interviewed children and families and advocated for children in dependency proceedings. Albert Quirantes, Esq. is a criminal trial lawyer with 38 years of experience who has defended numerous juvenile cases in Miami-Dade County. You can read about each of them on our attorneys page, and our Miami juvenile defense page explains the full court process.
Before the night is over
Leave with three things: the date and time of the next court event, any written release conditions, and the name of the person responsible for follow-up. If two agencies tell you different things, write both answers down and let the lawyer sort it out.
Coming home does not end the case, and being detained does not mean your child is guilty. In many cases the next question is whether the matter can be handled outside formal prosecution. Our articles on the prearrest delinquency citation program and juvenile diversion in Miami-Dade explain those options, and our guide to juvenile record expunction covers what happens to the record afterward.
For more information or help, schedule a free strategy session at the law offices of Albert Quirantes, Esq. Criminal DUI & Ticket Lawyers. Text or call 305-644-1800 now.
