Initial Hearing & Counsel Access (First 24–48 Hours)

Pipeline 03D

Transparency note: small daily hearing counts and mid-year rule changes (e.g., counsel-at-intake pilots) can cause series breaks; we pool to weekly or quarterly summaries when n is small and annotate any definition changes.

Overview

The initial hearing—often within 24–48 hours of intake or detention—sets the early trajectory of a case. Courts verify notice, appoint or confirm counsel, review detention decisions, and establish release conditions or next dates. Measuring these steps helps assess due process, timeliness, and the use of least-restrictive options.

What We Track

Notice & Counsel

Youth & caregiver received notice (method, date, language)
Counsel present or appointed at hearing (timestamp)
Remote appearance used (Y/N) and tech readiness check
Interpreter services provided when needed (modality, duration)

Detention Review

Confirm legal criteria and detention eligibility
Consider detention risk score (tool & version)
Log overrides to tool guidance with rationale & approver

Release Conditions

Pre-adjudication supervision ordered (contact standards set)
ATDs assigned when appropriate (evening reporting, EM, shelter/respite)
Special conditions documented (school attendance, curfew, treatment)

Timeliness

Detention/admission → hearing hours (target: 24–48)
On-time rate vs. standard; late reasons coded
Continuances tracked (reason codes, added days)

Early Outcomes

Disposition at first appearance: dismissal/decline, set-over with release, continued detention
Next-hearing date scheduled and noticed

Simple Flow

Calendar & notice issued; youth appears in person or remotely
- Confirm delivery method, language, and any accommodations
Counsel confirmed/appointed; interpreter arranged if required
- Record appointment timestamp; verify remote access if used
Detention decision reviewed with risk criteria & statutory factors
- Note tool score/version; document any overrides
Order issued (release with conditions, ATD assignment, or continued hold) and schedule set
- Set contact standards/conditions; assign ATD where appropriate
Next steps documented: discovery timeline, diversion screening, or petition/adjudication dates
- Sync orders & schedule to case-management system with audit trail

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Codeset	Description
pipeline_place_id	uuid	✅	—	Unique identifier for this pipeline place row.
pipeline_stage_id	enum	✅	stages.yml#stage_key(8) intake detention adjudication disposition supervision commitment_and_placement reentry closure	One of the 8 canonical stages.
pipeline_place_key	enum	✅	pipeline_places.yml#place_key(45) intake pre_petition_diversion_and_deflection diversion youth_assessment_tools prosecutorial_screening status_offenses adjudication case_planning family_engagement case_timeliness language_access restorative_justice detention_screening community_atds electronic_monitoring court_appearance_and_fta initial_hearing pretrial_supervision probation intensive_supervision …and 25 more	Canonical key for this place (maps to route/slug).
youth_id	string	✅	—	Salted/hashed or state UID. No plaintext PII.
staff_id	string		—	Judicial officer or hearing lead (if captured as staff).
occurred_datetime	datetime	✅	—	Timestamp when the hearing concluded / orders entered.
jurisdiction_code	string	✅	—	County/parish/circuit or standardized local code.
location_site_id	string		—	Courthouse/courtroom or remote host site identifier.
actor_role_code	enum		roles.yml#actor_role(7) Intake_Officer Prosecutor Defender Probation_Officer Case_Manager Facility_Staff Coach_Reentry	Role primarily responsible for this place (e.g., Judge).
legal_case_id	string		—	Case/docket identifier.
source_system	string	✅	—	Origin system name.
source_file	string		—	Source batch/file id if flatfile.
extract_run_id	string		—	ETL run id for lineage.
series_break_flag	boolean		—	Comparability break applies to this row.
series_break_reason	enum		series_breaks.yml#reason(4) definition_change vendor_change coverage_change policy_change	Reason for break when flagged.
hearing_datetime_scheduled	datetime	✅	—	Scheduled date/time for the hearing in local time.
notice_method_code	enum		notice_methods.yml#method(6) in_person phone video mail email portal	How notice was given (mail, sms, portal, in_person).
notice_sent_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp notice was sent/served.
interpreter_required_flag	boolean		—	Interpreter requested/required for the hearing.
interpreter_present_flag	boolean		—	Interpreter present at hearing.
counsel_status_code	enum		counsel_statuses.yml#status(9) appointed retained present_unknown not_present present_retained present_appointed appointment_ordered waived unknown	present_retained, present_appointed, appointment_ordered, waived, unknown.
counsel_appointment_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp counsel was appointed (if applicable).
detention_admission_datetime	datetime		—	When youth admitted/booked to detention (for elapsed-time checks).
hearing_type_code	enum		hearing_types.yml#type(5) initial review violation adjudication_related other	initial, review, violation_related, other.
probable_cause_finding_code	enum		pc_findings.yml#finding(3) found not_found not_reached	found, not_found, not_reached.
detention_order_code	enum	✅	detention_orders.yml#order(3) release release_to_atd continue_detention	release, release_to_atd, continue_detention.
atd_type_code	enum		atd_types.yml#type(5) evening_reporting day_reporting electronic_monitoring shelter_respite community_supervision	If release_to_atd, the ATD type authorized.
atd_program_id	string		—	Program identifier if a specific program assigned.
order_condition_codes	array<string>		order_conditions.yml#condition(6) curfew school_attendance no_contact check_ins drug_testing electronic_monitoring	Conditions imposed (curfew, school_attendance, no_contact, check_ins); semicolon-delimited in CSV.
review_required_flag	boolean		—	Court ordered a subsequent review/hearing.
next_review_datetime	datetime		—	Scheduled date/time for next review (if any).
override_flag	boolean		—	Court result deviated from detention instrument guidance.
override_reason_code	enum		overrides.yml#reason(4) safety_exception capacity_constraint policy_exception supervisor_override	Rationale for override; approver captured in audit trail.
continuance_count	integer		—	Number of continuances reflected for this hearing.
continuance_reason_codes	array<string>		continuance_reasons.yml#reason(13) witness_unavailable discovery_pending counsel_conflict court_calendar youth_health other_good_cause counsel_request discovery_delay court_congestion participant_availability interpreter_needed weather_emergency other	Reasons for continuance(s); semicolon-delimited in CSV.
arrival_status_code	enum		arrival_statuses.yml#status(4) on_time late_excused late_unexcused no_show	on_time, late_excused, late_unexcused, no_show.
arrival_delta_minutes	integer		—	Minutes early/late relative to scheduled time (negative allowed).
Download CSVwhat_we_track.csv

Data & Methods

Timeliness is measured in hours from detention/admission or intake timestamp to the hearing start. On-time rates use event-level denominators with truncation rules for extreme delays. Counsel presence is a binary indicator; appointment at hearing is recorded with timestamp. Detention review outcomes are coded as release, release-to-ATD, or continue hold. When court rules or risk instruments change, we mark series breaks. Small-n suppression follows Suppression & Small-n, and cross-county comparisons apply conventions in Cross-Jurisdiction Comparability. For exposure and timing conventions, see Denominators & Exposure Time.

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