(a) Each county with a population of more than twenty thousand (20,000), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, may establish a full-time youth services officer to assist the court sitting as a juvenile court in relation to cases coming before the court. Counties with a population of twenty thousand (20,000) or less, according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, may establish a part-time youth services officer.

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 37-1-106

  • 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 court: means the general sessions court in all counties of this state, except in those counties and municipalities in which special juvenile courts are provided by law, and "judge" means judge of the juvenile court. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102
  • Preliminary inquiry: means the process established by the Rules of Juvenile Practice and Procedure that is used to commence proceedings and to resolve complaints by excluding certain matters from juvenile court at their inception. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The youth services officer shall be paid by the county in which the officer serves and the officer’s duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Intake duties including receiving and examining complaints and allegations of delinquency and unruly behavior for the purpose of conducting a preliminary inquiry;
(2) Counseling;
(3) Record keeping and transmitting information as required by this part or by law to the commission on children and youth or the office of the executive secretary of the Tennessee council of juvenile and family court judges;
(4) Make investigations, reports and recommendations to the judge having juvenile jurisdiction;
(5) Make appropriate referrals to other public or private agencies;
(6) Make predisposition studies and submit reports and recommendations to the court as required; and
(7) Perform other functions as directed by the court or by law including, but not limited to, those set out in § 37-1-105.