13th Judicial Circuit of MissouriJuvenile Court Services

Office Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Boone County Courthouse
705 East Walnut
Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: (573) 886-4200
Fax: (573) 886-4030

Callaway County Justice Center
5 E 2nd St
Fulton, MO 65251
Phone: (573) 826-2844
Fax: (573) 826-2850

Family Court Adminstrative Judge

Honorable Sue Crane

Family Court Administrator

Derek Hux

Juvenile Officer

Angie Bezoni

Boone County Supervisor

Kris Cortez

Callaway County Supervisor

Tosha Good

Staff Attorney

• Mary Barnard
• Matt Puthukulam
• Max Wallach

The purpose of the Juvenile Division of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court is to provide prevention, intervention and protection services to children, families and the community, while promoting collaborative partnerships with private and public entities in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Boone and Callaway counties.

The 13th Circuit Family Court’s court values include:

• Access to Justice
• Expedition and Timeliness
• Equality, Fairness, and Integrity
• Independence and Accountability
• Public Trust and Confidence

Role of the Juvenile Court: A court of special jurisdiction dealing with children under the age of seventeen in law violation and delinquency cases, and under the age of eighteen in all other matters. It is a division of the Circuit Court. It is designed to provide protection, treatment and rehabilitation. Children are not treated as criminals, but as persons needing care, education, protection and guidance. (see Chapter 211, RSMo.)

The Juvenile Court also has jurisdiction over cases involving children who are runaways, out of parental control, behavior injurious to self or others, or habitually truant from school. This is referred to as a status offense.

The Juvenile Division of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court is organized into eight units; Intake Team, Family Support Team, Outer County Supervision Team, Standard Supervision Team, Callaway County Supervision Team, Intensive Services Team, Legal Services Team and Leadership Team.

The primary emphasis of all teams is the Juvenile Division's core philosophy of accountability; however, each team makes a distinct and separate contribution to the best interests of the juveniles it serves. Juveniles often receive services from multiple teams.

What is a Referral?

A referral is a written report or statement that alleges that a juvenile has come under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. For status or delinquency purposes, a juvenile is defined as a child under the age of seventeen years. For abuse and neglect purposes, a juvenile is defined as a child under the age of eighteen years.

Referrals should be in writing and contain the juvenile's name, date of birth, address, and parents' name, along with sufficient information explaining the allegations. The reporter must also be identified. Verbal referrals can be received and acted upon in emergency situations, but the referral must be reduced to writing as soon as practicable.

Referral Resources - Law enforcement agencies, schools, other juvenile courts and the Children's Division. Parents may make referrals to the Juvenile Office by utilizing the Parental Referral Form.

Intake Process

The referral on a youth is received and reviewed by the intake officer for possible disposition. If the intake officer questions the jurisdiction or legal sufficiency of the charge against the juvenile, the intake officer shall submit the intake referral to the legal team for assessment. If the referral is rejected by the legal team, no further action will be taken and a letter will be sent to the juvenile and guardian advising them of such. If the referral is not rejected by the legal team, the intake officer will proceed with disposition.

On all legally sufficient referrals, the deputy juvenile officers assigned to the Intake Unit will send a Notice of Conference letter to the juveniles and their families, scheduling the child and family to attend an individual Informal Adjustment conference at the Family Court Services office.

Some cases may meet the criteria where the juvenile and family can attend a Consequence Program with other youth and their families versus attending an individual conference. These cases involve youth who meet certain criteria to qualify for this program. The program involves a one hour video presentation, signing an informal adjustment agreeing admitting to the offense the child was charged with and paying a $30.00 Family Court fee.

The intake process occurs Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The intake conference is not a formal court proceeding, but the families are advised that they can be represented by legal counsel if they choose.

Once arriving at the Family Court Services office, you will check in with the receptionist. You will be asked to complete a “Face Sheet”, providing information about your child and family. The intake officer meets with the parents and children to discuss the specific referral and any related issues. Intake officers identify factors that may have led up to the offense and work to find consequences that will prevent new referrals in the future. If the child and family agree with the charges and agree to participate in the services/consequences offered, an Informal Adjustment agreement can be entered into. Most cases wherein an intake conference is scheduled are disposed by one of the following outcomes:

1. The juvenile and the juvenile's family agree to an Informal Adjustment contract. The intake officer then tracks the juvenile's progress and completion of assigned tasks and/or programs;
2. The intake officer cautions the juvenile on the consequences of future referrals and, in some cases recommends counseling, tutoring, or other services from outside agencies; or
3. The juvenile will be placed on supervision with a deputy juvenile officer for a period of six months. As part of supervision the juvenile may be required to participate in available programs. Supervision may be terminated prior to the six-month period or, if ordered by the court, may be extended up to a maximum of twelve months.

If the juvenile denies the offense he or she is charged with, or disagrees with the consequences offered in the Informal Adjustment contract, the juvenile has a right to have the case being heard in Court by the Family Court Commissioner or Judge. No disposition is made unless the family agrees to the contract or it is ordered by the court.

Ultimately, the Informal Adjustment, or “intake,” process allows for cases to be resolved in mutually agreeable ways more quickly and without taking formal court action.

The intake process normally takes 45 – 60 minutes.

Pursuant to Section 487.170.2 RSMo., a $30.00 Family Court fee is assessed against the family at the time of the Informal Adjustment conference and payable on the day of the conference or within 30 days of signing the Informal Adjustment agreement.

What can you expect from the court?

As a member of the community coming to this Court for services, you can expect:

• To be provided with quality, professional services in accordance with Missouri law.
• To be treated with dignity and respect.

Intake Disposition

The intake officer may use one of the following methods to dispose of an intake referral:

Warning Letter - The intake officer may send a warning letter to the juvenile and parent(s)/guardian(s)/custodian(s) regarding the incident.

Intake Conference - The intake officer may send a Notice of Conference letter to the juvenile and parent(s)/guardian(s)/custodian(s) regarding the referral and the intake conference. The letter provides notification of the offense, identifies the reporting agency, and provides the date and time of the scheduled conference.

Petition Filed - If the offense is of a serious nature and services for the juvenile would best be made through formal action of the court, the intake officer shall draft a petition. The intake officer shall submit the petition to the Juvenile Officer or designated supervisor for review and approval.

Rejection Letter - The intake officer shall send a rejection letter to the juvenile and parent(s)/guardian(s)/custodian(s) regarding the incident, if the referral was reviewed by the legal team and found to lack jurisdiction or legal sufficiency.

Intake Referral Involving Supervision of the Children's Division - All referrals, where the juveniles are under the supervision of the Children's Division, shall be assigned to the Juvenile Office liaison to the Children's Division. The Juvenile Office liaison should contact the Children's Division caseworker to ensure they are aware of the referral and to determine what action Children's Division is taking with the juvenile.

Intake Referral Involving Custody of Division of Youth Services - All status offense and law violation referrals shall be forwarded to the Division of Youth Services.

Intake Referral Involving Juvenile Residing in Another Jurisdiction - Referrals involving a juvenile who resides in another jurisdiction and who has committed an offense in Boone or Callaway County shall be forwarded to the Juvenile Office in the juvenile's county of residence for action.

Intake Referral Involving Supervision - Referrals disposed in this manner will results in a period of supervision by a deputy juvenile officer or family therapist. The period of supervision generally lasts up to six months. A juveniile may be required to participate in programs as assigned by juvenile's supervising deputy juvenile officer. Supervision may be terminated prior to the six-month period or, if ordered by the court, may be extended up to a maximum of twelve months.

Intake Conference/Services

The intake conference is not a formal court proceeding, but the families are advised that they can be represented by legal counsel if they choose. The intake officer meets with the parents and children together to discuss the specific referral and any related issues. Intake officers identify factors that may have led up to the offense and work to find consequences that will prevent new referrals in the future. Most cases wherein an intake conference is scheduled are disposed by one of the following outcomes: 1) The juvenile and the juvenile's family agree to an Informal Adjustment contract. The intake officer then tracks the juvenile's progress and completion of assigned tasks and/or programs; 2) The intake officer cautions the juvenile on the consequences of future referrals and, in some cases recommends counseling or other services from outside agencies; or 3) The juvenile will be placed on supervision with a deputy juvenile officer for a period of six months. As part of supervision the juvenile may be required to participate in available programs. Supervision may be terminated prior to the six-month period or, if ordered by the court, may be extended up to a maximum of twelve months.

Listed below are programs provided by the Juvenile Office for juveniles who are either on an Informal Adjustment contract or supervision: Consequence Program, Cognitive Behavior Intervention Programs (Thinking for a Change, Why Can't I Stop, Options to Anger), Community Service Work, Restitution, Victim Impact Panel, Family Therapy, Shoplifter's Education, Random Urinalysis, It's Your Life, Tobacco Program, Young Adult Programs - STI Prevention, Teen Dating Violence Group, and Intensive Intervention Model Program. Other resources are available as needed, such as placement at the Robert L. Perry Juvenile Justice Center.

Organizational Chart & Staff Contact

• Organization Chart
• Staff Contact Information