Rule 126.01 Notification of Rights

When a young person is taken into custody and questioned, someone from the juvenile office has to explain their rights first. This is usually the juvenile officer or someone trained by that officer. This must happen before any questioning starts.

The young person must be told they don't have to answer questions. They must also be told they have the right to a lawyer, and if they can't pay for one, the court will provide one for free. They need to know that anything they say can be used later in court, even in a different court if their case gets moved to adult court.

The young person also has the right to stop answering questions at any time, even if they already started talking. This means they can change their mind partway through and refuse to say anything more.

Finally, the rule warns that statements made to police or other people, not just the juvenile officer, can also be used against the young person later. This matters most if the case gets transferred out of juvenile court and into regular adult court. The goal of this rule is to make sure young people understand their rights clearly before they say anything that could affect their case.