A juvenile offender was placed out of home under the delinquency laws in a private therapeutic program in lieu of any juvenile hall time. The court then delegated visitation authority to the private program. Meaning that parents of the juvenile were limited to the program’s visitation schedule. The program also restricted the number of visits the parents had with the child.
The parents challenged the court’s ruling and prevailed. The Appellate Court held that the trial court cannot delegate its judicial power over visitation by practically delegating all decisions regarding the family visits to the private program placement. So if your juvenile offender is in a program and your visitation rights are limited, contact an attorney at the law offices of Wallin & Klarich to get you more visitation.