Legal Definitions - detention hearing

A detention hearing is a legal proceeding where a judge decides whether a juvenile offender should be held in custody or released until their trial. The purpose of the hearing is to determine if the juvenile poses a risk to the community or is a flight risk.

For example, if a 16-year-old is arrested for stealing a car, they may have a detention hearing to determine if they should be held in a juvenile detention center until their trial or released to their parents' custody.

Detention in a reformatory refers to a juvenile offender's sentence of being sent to a reformatory school for some period. This is a type of juvenile detention center that focuses on rehabilitation and education rather than punishment.

For example, if a 14-year-old is convicted of a serious crime like armed robbery, they may be sentenced to detention in a reformatory school for a year or more.