Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Detention Center

Picture a teenager’s older brother caught with a pipe in his car. That is possession of drug paraphernalia, a first-degree misdemeanor. The officer may simply give him a notice to appear, a slip with a court date, and let him drive home. If he’s taken to the Main Detention Center instead, he’ll go before a judge for first appearance in less than 24 hours. Florida’s highest court adopted the uniform bond schedule now in use, which took effect in January 2026. It says what the minimum bond must be if a person wants out before that hearing. Certain arrests, like domestic battery, keep the person in jail until the judge has seen them.

At first appearance, the judge sets the terms of pretrial release. Some people go home on their own promise, called release on recognizance. Others need money bond. A licensed bail bond agent can post it in return for a fee, which by law is generally 10% of the bond and never less than $100. That fee is gone for good.

The two misdemeanor levels in Florida are first-degree (up to one year in county jail, fine up to $1,000) and second-degree (up to 60 days, fine up to $500). Taking something from a store worth $100 up to $750 is first-degree petit theft. A first Palm Beach DUI may mean up to six months in jail, a $500 to $1,000 fine, and a license suspension.

The State Attorney of the Fifteenth Circuit, an elected official, decides what charges to file. Defendants without money for an attorney can be assigned the elected Public Defender, whose office is also in West Palm Beach. Conflict cases, where ethics rules bar the Public Defender from a client, are passed to Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, which has an office serving South Florida. Florida courts may later order a defendant to pay costs for the appointed lawyer; unpaid, that bill can be recorded as a lien. Palm Beach has pretrial diversion and other programs that can end with charges dismissed. Trials should begin no later than day 90 after formal charges are filed unless the defense agrees to wait, and the jury is made up of six people.

Under 18: A teenager’s misdemeanor is heard in Circuit Court’s juvenile courtroom rather than County Court. Many first-time cases end with a civil citation or other diversion, meaning the young person volunteers, says sorry to the victim in writing or attends classes, and no arrest record is made. If a teen is detained, a judge must review it within 24 hours. The Department of Juvenile Justice runs the Palm Beach Juvenile Detention Center in West Palm Beach.

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When the possible punishment is longer than one year and served in a state prison, Florida labels the crime a felony. These cases in Palm Beach also start at first appearance. A prosecutor then sizes up the evidence. If it holds up, the formal charging paper, called an information, gets filed. At arraignment in Circuit Court, the defendant answers the charges. Pretrial hearings, plea talks and sometimes a trial come after.

Think of felonies as a ladder with rungs. Third-degree felonies, like grand theft of $750 to $20,000, carry up to 5 years. On the next rung, second-degree felonies, like breaking into a house or selling cocaine, carry up to 15. First-degree felonies carry up to 30. A small set are life felonies. When someone is convicted, the Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet adds up points for what happened and for past convictions, and that score tells the judge the minimum sentence normally allowed. Florida prisoners must serve 85% of their sentence before release.

If the State Attorney can’t try the case within 175 days after formal charges are filed, the defense can push for dismissal, unless it has waived the deadline. Most felony juries in Florida have six people. Drug court and veterans court in Palm Beach offer treatment instead of prison for some people.

Under 18: Usually a minor’s felony stays in the juvenile courtroom, where the focus is treatment and supervision. Still, prosecutors may direct file, sending a teen who is 16 or 17 straight to adult court on nearly any felony. With a 14- or 15-year-old, only crimes on a specific list in the statute, such as armed robbery or aggravated battery, allow it.

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Violent felonies go through the same courthouse on Dixie Highway, but with bigger consequences. A judge can deny bond completely for some serious charges. Robbery with a firearm can be punished by life, and the most serious sexual battery charges are capital or life felonies. Florida’s 10-20-Life rule adds required prison time whenever a gun shows up in a listed felony: a minimum of 10 years if the gun was possessed, 20 if it was fired, and 25 years to life if the bullet kills or seriously wounds someone.

First-degree murder is a capital crime. In Palm Beach, it needs a grand jury indictment. Palm Beach sentences: life without parole or death. A 12-person jury hears capital cases, and under a 2023 Florida law, at least 8 jurors must vote for death for that sentence to be recommended. Palm Beach readers should know that Florida does carry out death sentences. Men facing execution live on death row at Raiford’s Union Correctional Institution, while women are housed at Lowell Correctional Institution.

Since 2019, Marsy’s Law in the state constitution has given Palm Beach victims case updates, a courtroom seat, and a chance to speak. The Fifteenth Circuit State Attorney has a victim services division to help them.

Under 18: Age doesn’t block adult court when grand jurors indict a minor on a charge that carries a possible life term. Even so, the U.S. Supreme Court has said nobody can be executed for something done before age 18. Jails must keep minors held on adult charges out of contact with adult prisoners.

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Yes. PBSO, the Sheriff's Office, posts a warrant search, and its warrants staff pick up at (561) 688-3000. Every felony or misdemeanor docket in eCaseView lists a capias where one was ordered. A surrender arranged by a lawyer at the Main Detention Center on Gun Club Road tends to help at bond. North Dixie Highway is the main clerk's office for new dates, while Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Belle Glade cases also run through branch courthouses. FDLE provides a statewide wanted persons search too, useful for warrants filed in other counties.

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