Explain how juvenile offenders are processed through the Juvenile Justice The first step is delinquent behavior. It is developmentally normal for teenagers of all races and ethnicities to be involved in minor acts of delinquency. The second step is referral. A young person enters the juvenile justice system with an arrest or referral. While the vast majority of referrals come from the police, youth also can be referred by educators, parents, alleged crime victims or other members of the community. The third step is intake or diversion. Once a young person is referred, intake workers at the juvenile court or probation agency or attorneys in the prosecutor's office determine whether the case should be formally processed in juvenile court, handled informally or dismissed. The fourth is transfer or waiver. Also at the intake stage, youth accused of very serious offenses may be transferred (or waived) out of the juvenile court to stand trial as an adult in criminal court. The fifth step is detention. For cases formally processed in juvenile court, the next decision is whether to detain the young person until his or her adjudication hearing or to permit the young person to remain at home during the pre-adjudication