Art. 874 Severance of individual cases for adjudication

When two or more kids are accused of taking part in the same delinquent act together, the court usually handles their cases in one joint trial. This keeps things simple and avoids repeating the same evidence in separate hearings.

There are two ways this can change. First, the state (the prosecutor) can decide on its own to try the kids separately instead of together. Second, a child can ask the court for a separate trial, but this takes more effort. The child's lawyer must file a request, and the court has to hold a hearing where both sides, the child and the district attorney, present their arguments. The judge will only grant a separate trial if there's a real reason why justice requires it, like if being tried together would unfairly hurt that child's chance at a fair hearing.