Ohio Juv. R. 2

As amended through October 15, 2024

Rule 2 - Definitions

As used in these rules:

(A) "Abused child" has the same meaning as in section 2151.031 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Adjudicatory hearing" means a hearing to determine whether a child is a juvenile traffic offender, delinquent, unruly, abused, neglected, or dependent or otherwise within the jurisdiction of the court.

(C) "Agreement for temporary custody" means a voluntary agreement that is authorized by section 5103.15 of the Revised Code and transfers the temporary custody of a child to a public children services agency or a private child placing agency.

(D) "Appear," "appearance," or "in person" mean the physical or remote presence of an individual.

(E) "Attendance" means the physical or remote presence of an individual.

(F) "Child" has the same meaning as in sections 2151.011 and 2152.02 of the Revised Code.

(G) "Chronic truant" has the same meaning as in section 2151.011 of the Revised Code.

(H) "Complaint" means the legal document that sets forth the allegations that form the basis for juvenile court jurisdiction.

(I) "Court proceeding" means all action taken by a court from the earlier of (1) the time a complaint is filed and (2) the time a person first appears before an officer of a juvenile court until the court relinquishes jurisdiction over such child.

(J) "Custodian" means a person who has legal custody of a child or a public children's services agency or private child-placing agency that has permanent, temporary, or legal custody of a child.

(K) "Delinquent child" has the same meaning as in section 2152.02 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Dependent child" has the same meaning as in section 2151.04 of the Revised Code.

(M) "Detention" means the temporary care of children in restricted facilities pending court adjudication or disposition.

(N) "Detention hearing" means a hearing to determine whether a child shall be held in detention or shelter care prior to or pending execution of a final dispositional order.

(O) "Dispositional hearing" means a hearing to determine what action shall be taken concerning a child who is within the jurisdiction of the court.

(P) "Guardian" means a person, association, or corporation that is granted authority by a probate court pursuant to Chapter 2111 of the Revised Code to exercise parental rights over a child to the extent provided in the court's order and subject to the residual parental rights of the child's parents.

(Q) "Guardian ad litem" means a person appointed to protect the interests of a party in a juvenile court proceeding.

(R) "Habitual truant" has the same meaning as in section 2151.011 of the Revised Code.

(S) "Hearing" means any portion of a juvenile court proceeding before the court, whether summary in nature or by examination of witnesses.

(T) "Indigent person" means a person who, at the time need is determined, is unable by reason of lack of property or income to provide for full payment of legal counsel and all other necessary expenses of representation.

(U) "Juvenile court" means a division of the court of common pleas, or a juvenile court separately and independently created, that has jurisdiction under Chapters 2151 and 2152 of the Revised Code.

(V) "Juvenile judge" means a judge of a court having jurisdiction under Chapters 2151 and 2152 of the Revised Code.

(W) "Juvenile traffic offender" has the same meaning as in section 2152.02 of the Revised Code.

(X) "Legal custody" means a legal status that vests in the custodian the right to have physical care and control of the child and to determine where and with whom the child shall live, and the right and duty to protect, train, and discipline the child and provide the child with food, shelter, education, and medical care, all subject to any residual parental rights, privileges, and responsibilities. An individual granted legal custody shall exercise the rights and responsibilities personally unless otherwise authorized by any section of the Revised Code or by the court.

(Y) "Mental examination" means an examination by a psychiatrist or psychologist.

(Z) "Neglected child" has the same meaning as in section 2151.03 of the Revised Code.

(AA) "Open court" includes a court proceeding open to the public in person or by remote access to the live proceeding.

(BB) "Party" means a child who is the subject of a juvenile court proceeding, the child's spouse, if any, the child's parent or parents, or if the parent of a child is a child, the parent of that parent, in appropriate cases, the child's custodian, guardian, or guardian ad litem, the state, and any other person specifically designated by the court.

(CC) "Permanent custody" means a legal status that vests in a public children's services agency or a private child-placing agency, all parental rights, duties, and obligations, including the right to consent to adoption, and divests the natural parents or adoptive parents of any and all parental rights, privileges, and obligations, including all residual rights and obligations.

(DD) "Permanent surrender" means the act of the parents or, if a child has only one parent, of the parent of a child, by a voluntary agreement authorized by section 5103.15 of the Revised Code, to transfer the permanent custody of the child to a public children's services agency or a private child-placing agency.

(EE) "Person" includes an individual, association, corporation, or partnership and the state or any of its political subdivisions, departments, or agencies.

(FF) "Personally" means the physical or remote presence of an individual.

(GG) "Physical examination" means an examination by a physician.

(HH) "Planned permanent living arrangement" means an order of a juvenile court pursuant to which both of the following apply:

(1) The court gives legal custody of a child to a public children's services agency or a private child-placing agency without the termination of parental rights;

(2) The order permits the agency to make an appropriate placement of the child and to enter into a written planned permanent living arrangement agreement with a foster care provider or with another person or agency with whom the child is placed.

(II) "Private child-placing agency" means any association, as defined in section 5103.02 of the Revised Code that is certified pursuant to sections 5103.03 to 5103.05 of the Revised Code to accept temporary, permanent, or legal custody of children and place the children for either foster care or adoption.

(JJ) "Public children's services agency" means a children's services board or a county department of human services that has assumed the administration of the children's services function prescribed by Chapter 5153 of the Revised Code.

(KK) "Remote presence" means the presence of a person who is using live two-way video and audio technology.

(LL) "Removal action" means a statutory action filed by the superintendent of a school district for the removal of a child in an out-of-county foster home placement.

(MM) "Residence or legal settlement" means a location as defined by section 2151.06 of the Revised Code.

(NN) "Residual parental rights, privileges, and responsibilities" means those rights, privileges, and responsibilities remaining with the natural parent after the transfer of legal custody of the child, including but not limited to the privilege of reasonable visitation, consent to adoption, the privilege to determine the child's religious affiliation, and the responsibility for support.

(OO) "Rule of court" means a rule promulgated by the Supreme Court or a rule concerning local practice adopted by another court that is not inconsistent with the rules promulgated by the Supreme Court and that is filed with the Supreme Court.

(PP) "Serious youthful offender" means a child eligible for sentencing as described in sections 2152.11 and 2152.13 of the Revised Code.

(QQ) "Serious youthful offender proceedings" means proceedings after a probable cause determination that a child is eligible for sentencing as described in sections 2152.11 and 2152.13 of the Revised Code. Serious youthful offender proceedings cease to be serious youthful offender proceedings once a child has been determined by the trier of fact not to be a serious youthful offender or the juvenile judge has determined not to impose a serious youthful offender disposition on a child eligible for discretionary serious youthful offender sentencing.

(RR) "Shelter care" means the temporary care of children in physically unrestricted facilities, pending court adjudication or disposition.

(SS) "Social history" means the personal and family history of a child or any other party to a juvenile proceeding and may include the prior record of the person with the juvenile court or any other court.

(TT) "Temporary custody" means legal custody of a child who is removed from the child's home, which custody may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the court or, if the legal custody is granted in an agreement for temporary custody, by the person or persons who executed the agreement.

(UU) "Unruly child" has the same meaning as in section 2151.022 of the Revised Code.

(VV) "Ward of court" means a child over whom the court assumes continuing jurisdiction.

Ohio. Juv. R. 2

Effective:7/1/1972; amended effective 7/1/1994;7/1/1998;7/1/2001;7/1/2002; amended effective 7/1/2023.

Staff Note (July 1, 2001 Amendment)

Juvenile Rule 2 Definitions

Several definitions in Rule 2 were amended to correct the language: Rules 2(F), (H), (W), (AA), (BB), (EE), and (FF).

Rule 2(D) was amended to reflect that the definition of "child" in the Revised Code had been placed into two new sections, i.e., R. C. 2151.011 and 2152.02.

Rules 2(E) and (P) were added to reflect the new categories of chronic truant [defined in Revised Code section 2151.011(B)(9)] and habitual truant [defined in Revised Code section 2151.011(B)(18)], added by Sub. Sen. Bill 181, which became effective September 4, 2000. Other rules that were amended to reflect changes necessitated by the chronic and habitual truancy bill are Rule 10(A), Rule 15(B), Rule 27(A), Rule 29(F), and Rule 37.

Rules 2(I), (S) and (T) were amended to reflect the reorganization of the Revised Code made by Sub. Sen. Bill 179, effective January 1, 2002. The reorganization moved delinquency into a new chapter, Chapter 2152 of the Revised Code, thus necessitating that "juvenile court" and "juvenile judge" be redefined to include those having jurisdiction under Chapter 2152 as well as under Chapter 2151, and that "delinquent child" be amended to reflect it is now defined in section 2152.02.

Rule 2(KK) was added to reflect the new category of "serious youthful offender" created by Sub. Sen. Bill 179. Although the Revised Code does not define serious youthful offender specifically, sections 2152.11 and 2152.13 describe in detail the predicate offenses and other predicates to treatment as a serious youthful offender, as well as the types of dispositional sentencing available for each. Other rules that were amended to reflect changes necessitated by the serious youthful offender bill are Rule 7(A), Rule 22(D) and (E), Rule 27(A), and Rule 29(A), (C) and (F).

Rule 2(LL) defines "serious youthful offender proceedings." The new category of serious youthful offender created by Sub. Sen. Bill 179 contemplates imposition of an adult sentence in addition to a juvenile disposition upon conviction. Therefore, serious youthful offenders have statutory and constitutional rights commensurate with those of adults. Some proceedings in juvenile court needed to be altered to ensure adult substantive and procedural protections where appropriate. The amendment makes clear that juvenile protections and confidentiality apply both before a probable cause determination that a child may be subject to serious youthful offender disposition, and after a determination that the child shall not be given a serious youthful offender disposition.

Staff Note (July 1, 2002 Amendment)

Juvenile Rule 2 Definitions

The July 1, 2002, amendments substituted the language of "planned permanent living arrangement" for the former language of "long term foster care," to conform to the new legislative designation for these child-placing arrangements. Former division (W), "Long term foster care," was deleted, a new division (DD), "Planned permanent living arrangement," was added, and other divisions were relettered accordingly.

The amendments to Juv.R. 2 conform to section 2151.011 of the Revised Code. Juvenile Rules 10, 15, and 34 also were amended effective July 1, 2002 to reflect this change in terminology.