Background
The original County of Sacramento Juvenile Center was built in 1963. The court services offered at that time amounted to office space and conference rooms to conduct hearings. Over time, additional services have been accommodated at the site. Currently, the Juvenile Center accommodates the Juvenile Courts, District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation, and Indigent Defense Program.

Prior to construction of the Juvenile Courthouse, space limitations necessitated the use of conference rooms as courtrooms.  Here, Judge Peterson and court staff prepare for their next hearing.

While expansions have occurred to increase space for these services, a facility dedicated to court services currently does not exist. Recently, two independent reviews of the court services indicated that the existing juvenile court facility has significant problems in it's ability to serve the public, judges and staff, and minors in a safe, secure, functional, accessible and service oriented manner. Both reports supported construction of a new courthouse.