Pursuant to the Supreme Court Order Friday, most in-person court hearings at Hamilton County Juvenile Court will be rescheduled. Following the recommendations of the Hamilton County Health Department and other public health agencies related to the COVID-19 virus, the Hamilton County Juvenile Court is taking appropriate further precautions.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court will remain open during regular business hours at both the Juvenile Courthouse located on East 3rd Street and the Child Support Division located on East Main Street.
Judge Rob Philyaw said, “It is our priority to continue to serve the community while meeting constitutional requirements and not diluting the essential governmental services we provide. At the same time, we are concerned for the well-being of children, citizens, staff and service providers on whom the Court relies.”
For the remainder of March, the Court will only hear emergency child safety cases and constitutionally required matters. Additionally, the following programs and/or regular meetings will be cancelled for the remainder of the month of March:
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Youth Court
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Recovery Court
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Commission Meeting
Serious Habitual Offender Community Action Program Meeting
Foster Care Review Board Meetings (April 7)
Child Support Clinics
Non-emergency hearings will be rescheduled. Detention hearings will still be held at 12:30 p.m. each day and constitutionally required or emergency cases will be scheduled on a case by case basis. When possible, attorneys are strongly encouraged to file pleadings remotely as authorized by the Hamilton County Juvenile Court Local Rules or by contacting the Court Clerk’s office for instructions.
Juveniles on probation, house arrest and any other program that requires regular meetings or telephonic reporting must continue to report by telephone and contact their probation officer prior to scheduled meetings for updates and/or rescheduling purposes.
Officials said the Court is taking every reasonable precaution within the facilities in order to ensure the best sanitary practices. Some of them include increasing the frequency of disinfecting of all surfaces, restrooms and waiting areas. Decreasing waiting time in our lobby area and encouraging staff members to strictly adhere to contact instructions promulgated by the pertinent public health agencies.
This situation continues to evolve quickly, and officials will continue to monitor it closely in order to make adjustments as they become necessary.