Texas Family Code 55.44 – Discretionary Transfer to Criminal Court On 18Th Birthday of Child
(a) The juvenile court may waive its exclusive original jurisdiction and transfer all pending proceedings from the juvenile court to a criminal court on or after the 18th birthday of a child for whom the juvenile court or a court to which the child’s case is referred has ordered inpatient mental health services or residential care for persons with an intellectual disability if:
(1) the child is not discharged or currently on furlough from the facility before reaching 18 years of age; and
(2) the child is alleged to have engaged in delinquent conduct that included a violation of a penal law listed in § 53.045 and no adjudication concerning the alleged conduct has been made.
(b) A court conducting a waiver of jurisdiction and discretionary transfer hearing under this section shall conduct the hearing according to Sections 54.02(j), (k), and (l).
Terms Used In Texas Family Code 55.44
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- 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.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(c) If after the hearing the juvenile court waives its jurisdiction and transfers the case to criminal court, the juvenile court shall send notification of the transfer of a child under Subsection (a) to the facility. The criminal court shall, before the 91st day after the date of the transfer, institute proceedings under Chapter 46B, Code of Criminal Procedure. If those or any subsequent proceedings result in a determination that the defendant is competent to stand trial, the defendant may not receive a punishment for the delinquent conduct described by Subsection (a)(2) that results in confinement for a period longer than the maximum period of confinement the defendant could have received if the defendant had been adjudicated for the delinquent conduct while still a child and within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.