West Virginia Code 61-5-12b – Escape from custody of the Director of Juvenile Services
(a) Any person, under the age of 18 years of age, who escapes or attempts to escape from the custody of the Director of Juvenile Services, regardless of where that person is confined or where the escape occurs, is guilty of a delinquent act and subject to the jurisdiction of the circuit court of the county in which the escape occurred, pursuant to § 49-4-701 of this code: Provided, That upon agreement of all parties, the prosecution of the escape may be transferred to the circuit court from which the juvenile was originally committed.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 61-5-12b
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- 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.
- Offense: includes every act or omission for which a fine, forfeiture, or punishment is imposed by law. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) Any person, over the age of 18 years of age or any juvenile who has been transferred to the adult jurisdiction of the committing court, who escapes or attempts to escape from the custody of the Director of Juvenile Services, regardless of where that person is confined or where the escape or attempted escape occurs, is guilty of escape and, if the person is detained or confined for an offense which is a felony or would have been a felony if committed by an adult is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility not more than five years. Any person, over the age of 18 years of age or any juvenile who has been transferred to the adult jurisdiction of the committing court, who is detained for an offense which is a misdemeanor or would have been a misdemeanor if committed by an adult is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be confined in a regional jail for not more than one year.