A change in how some juvenile cases are handled in Mendocino County. Starting February 1st, young people who get traffic tickets and other non-traffic citations will have their cases heard in Superior Court. Until now, those cases have been handled by the Probation Department’s Juvenile Division, but a change in state law now requires that the Court take on this workload. When juveniles are cited for infraction violations, they will receive a notice from the Court, scheduling them for a hearing in front of the Court’s Presiding Juvenile Judge, Carly Dolan. Parents are present–either in court or on Zoom and the hearings are confidential. If the juvenile pleads guilty or no contest on traffic infractions, the Court intends make orders that help the juvenile improve their driving. If the infraction is for a non-traffic law violation, the Court will use its discretion to make orders that help juveniles make different choices about law violations in the future.