1. After the filing of a petition which alleges that a child has committed a delinquent act on the basis of an alleged commission of a public offense and before an adjudicatory hearing on the merits of the petition is held, the county attorney or the child may file a motion requesting the court to waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense or for the purpose of prosecution of the child as an adult or a youthful offender. If the county attorney and the child agree, a motion for waiver for the purpose of being prosecuted as a youthful offender may be heard by the district court as part of the proceedings under section 907.3A, or by the juvenile court as provided in this section. If the motion for waiver for the purpose of being prosecuted as a youthful offender is made as a result of a conditional agreement between the county attorney and the child, the conditions of the agreement shall be disclosed to the court in the same manner as provided in rules of criminal procedure 2.8 and 2.10.

Attorney's Note

Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class A felonylife
Serious misdemeanorup to 1 yearbetween $430 and $2,560
For details, see Iowa Code902.1 and Iowa Code§ 903.1
criminal case

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.45

  • Adjudicatory hearing: means a hearing to determine if the allegations of a petition are true. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Adult: means a person other than a child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Child: means any person under the age of eighteen years. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Court: means the juvenile court established under section 602. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Custodian: means a stepparent or a relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity to a child who has assumed responsibility for that child, a person who has accepted a release of custody pursuant to subchapter IV, or a person appointed by a court or juvenile court having jurisdiction over a child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Delinquent act: means :
     a. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Detention: means the temporary care of a child in a physically restricting facility designed to ensure the continued custody of the child at any point between the child's initial contact with the juvenile authorities and the final disposition of the child's case. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Detention hearing: means a hearing at which the court determines whether it is necessary to place or retain a child in detention. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Intake: means the preliminary screening of complaints by an intake officer to determine whether the court should take some action and if so, what action. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Judge: means the judge of a juvenile court. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Juvenile: means the same as "child". See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Parent: means a biological or adoptive mother or father of a child; or a father whose paternity has been established by operation of law due to the individual's marriage to the mother at the time of conception, birth, or at any time during the period between conception and birth of the child, by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or by administrative order when authorized by state law. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Party: means a petitioner, a respondent, or a person who intervenes in a proceeding instituted under this chapter. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Petition: means a pleading the filing of which initiates formal judicial proceedings in the juvenile court. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. Source:
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Secure facility: means a physically restricting facility in which children adjudicated to have committed a delinquent act may be placed pursuant to a dispositional order of the court. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Shelter care: means the temporary care of a child in a physically unrestricting facility at any time between a child's initial contact with juvenile authorities and the final judicial disposition of the child's case. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • state: means the general interest held by the people in the health, safety, welfare, and protection of all children living in this state. See Iowa Code 232.90
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Waiver hearing: means a hearing at which the court determines whether it shall waive its jurisdiction over a child alleged to have committed a delinquent act so that the state may prosecute the child as if the child were an adult. See Iowa Code 232.2
 2. The court shall hold a waiver hearing on all such motions.
 3. Reasonable notice that states the time, place, and purpose of the waiver hearing shall be provided to the persons required to be provided notice for adjudicatory hearings under section 232.37. Summons, subpoenas, and other process may be issued and served in the same manner as for adjudicatory hearings as provided in section 232.37.
 4. Prior to the waiver hearing, the juvenile probation officer or other person or agency designated by the court shall conduct an investigation for the purpose of collecting information relevant to the court’s decision to waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense and shall submit a report concerning the investigation to the court. The report shall include any recommendations made concerning waiver. Prior to the hearing the court shall provide the child’s counsel and the county attorney with access to the report and to all written material to be considered by the court.
 5. At the waiver hearing all relevant and material evidence shall be admitted.
 6. At the conclusion of the waiver hearing the court may waive its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense for the purpose of prosecution of the child as an adult if all of the following apply:

 a. The child is fourteen years of age or older.
 b. The court determines, or has previously determined in a detention hearing under section 232.44, that there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed a delinquent act which would constitute the public offense.
 c. The court determines that the state has established that there are not reasonable prospects for rehabilitating the child if the juvenile court retains jurisdiction over the child and the child is adjudicated to have committed the delinquent act, and that waiver of the court’s jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense would be in the best interests of the child and the community.
 7. a. At the conclusion of the waiver hearing and after considering the best interests of the child and the best interests of the community the court may, in order that the child may be prosecuted as a youthful offender, waive its jurisdiction over the child if all of the following apply:

 (1) The child is twelve through fifteen years of age or the child is ten or eleven years of age and has been charged with a public offense that would be classified as a class “A” felony if committed by an adult.
 (2) The court determines, or has previously determined in a detention hearing under section 232.44, that there is probable cause to believe that the child has committed a delinquent act which would constitute a public offense under section 232.8, subsection 1, paragraph “c”, notwithstanding the application of that paragraph to children aged sixteen or older.
 (3) The court determines that the state has established that there are not reasonable prospects for rehabilitating the child, prior to the child’s eighteenth birthday, if the juvenile court retains jurisdiction over the child and the child enters into a plea agreement, is a party to a consent decree, or is adjudicated to have committed the delinquent act.
 b. The court shall retain jurisdiction over the child for the purpose of determining whether the child should be released from detention under section 232.23. If the court has been apprised of conditions of an agreement between the county attorney and the child which resulted in a motion for waiver for purposes of the child being prosecuted as a youthful offender, and the court finds that the conditions are in the best interests of the child, the conditions of the agreement shall constitute conditions of the waiver order.
 8. In making the determination required by subsection 6, paragraph “c”, the factors which the court shall consider include but are not limited to the following:

 a. The nature of the alleged delinquent act and the circumstances under which it was committed.
 b. The nature and extent of the child’s prior contacts with juvenile authorities, including past efforts of such authorities to treat and rehabilitate the child and the response to such efforts.
 c. The programs, facilities and personnel available to the juvenile court for rehabilitation and treatment of the child, and the programs, facilities and personnel which would be available to the court that would have jurisdiction in the event the juvenile court waives its jurisdiction so that the child can be prosecuted as an adult.
 9. In making the determination required by subsection 7, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3), the factors which the court shall consider include but are not limited to the following:

 a. The nature of the alleged delinquent act and the circumstances under which it was committed.
 b. The nature and extent of the child’s prior contacts with juvenile authorities, including past efforts of such authorities to treat and rehabilitate the child and the response to such efforts.
 c. The age of the child, the programs, facilities, and personnel available to the juvenile court for rehabilitation and treatment of the child, and the programs, facilities, and personnel which would be available to the district court after the child reaches the age of eighteen in the event the child is given youthful offender status.
 10. If at the conclusion of the hearing the court waives its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense, the court shall make and file written findings as to its reasons for waiving its jurisdiction.
 11. a. If the court waives jurisdiction, statements made by the child after being taken into custody and prior to intake are admissible as evidence in chief against the child in subsequent criminal proceedings provided that the statements were made with the advice of the child’s counsel or after waiver of the child’s right to counsel and provided that the court finds the child had voluntarily waived the right to remain silent. Other statements made by a child are admissible as evidence in chief provided that the court finds the statements were voluntary. In making its determination, the court may consider any factors it finds relevant and shall consider the following factors:

 (1) Opportunity for the child to consult with a parent, guardian, custodian, lawyer, or other adult.
 (2) The age of the child.
 (3) The child’s level of education.
 (4) The child’s level of intelligence.
 (5) Whether the child was advised of the child’s constitutional rights.
 (6) Length of time the child was held in shelter care or detention before making the statement in question.
 (7) The nature of the questioning which elicited the statement.
 (8) Whether physical punishment such as deprivation of food or sleep was used upon the child during the shelter care, detention, or questioning.
 b. Statements made by the child during intake or at a waiver hearing held pursuant to this section are not admissible as evidence in chief against the child in subsequent criminal proceedings over the child’s objection in any event.
 12. If the court waives its jurisdiction over the child for the alleged commission of the public offense so that the child may be prosecuted as an adult or a youthful offender, the judge who made the waiver decision shall not preside at any subsequent proceedings in connection with that prosecution if the child objects.
 13. The waiver does not apply to other delinquent acts which are not alleged in the delinquency petition presented at the waiver hearing.
 14. a. If a child who is alleged to have delivered, manufactured, or possessed with intent to deliver or manufacture, a controlled substance except marijuana, as defined in chapter 124, is waived to district court for prosecution, the mandatory minimum sentence provided in section 124.413 shall not be imposed if a conviction is had; however, each child convicted of such an offense shall be confined for not less than thirty days in a secure facility.

 b. Upon application of a person charged or convicted under the authority of this subsection, the district court shall order the records in the case sealed if:

 (1) Five years have elapsed since the final discharge of that person; and
 (2) The person has not been convicted of a felony or an aggravated or serious misdemeanor, or adjudicated a delinquent for an act which if committed by an adult would be a felony, or an aggravated or serious misdemeanor since the final discharge of that person.
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