Juvenile Actions

CHIPS

A child is alleged to be in need of protection or services if they are without a parent or guardian, have been abandoned, neglected, or abused, or for any of the other reasons set forth in Section 48.13 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

A child who is the subject of a CHIPS proceeding will be represented by a Guardian ad Litem (GAL).  A GAL is an attorney appointed by the Court to represent the best interest of the child.

JIPS

A juvenile is alleged to be in need of protection or services if they are uncontrollable, habitually truant from home, habitually truant from school, under the age of 10 years old and committed a delinquent act, not responsible or not competent for having committed a delinquent act, or for any of the other reasons set forth in Section 938.13 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

A juvenile who is the subject of a JIPS proceeding will be represented by an attorney appointed by the State Public Defender's Office.  If the juvenile is under 10 years of age, he or she would be appointed a Guardian ad Litem.  A Guardian ad Litem is an attorney appointed by the Court to represent the best interest of the juvenile.  In some circumstances, the judge may require both an attorney and a Guardian ad Litem.

Juvenile Delinquency

A juvenile delinquent is a juvenile over the age of 10 years who has violated any state or federal criminal law.  The Petitioner in a juvenile delinquency case is the District Attorney, otherwise referred to as The Public.

A juvenile who is involved in delinquency proceedings is eligible to have an attorney appointed by the State Public Defender's Office.  A juvenile 15 years or older can waive his or her right to be represented by an attorney if the court finds that he or she is competent to do so.  A juvenile who wants to waive their right to an attorney must complete a Waiver of Right to Attorney form and bring it to court with them for the judge to review.  You will find this form below.

There are several dispositional alternatives that the court may impose on a juvenile adjudicated to be delinquent.  For specific information on these alternatives and a list of Delinquency Enhancers violations, see the document titled Nature and Possible Consequences of Juvenile Court Proceedings below.

All Juvenile Delinquency case files and proceedings are closed to the public.