Detention After Arrest
When a juvenile is arrested by police, the law considers the child "taken into custody" and you will not probably not hearing anyone in the juvenile system speak of an "arrest." This is just one of many euphemisms of the juvenile justice system. But it is an arrest nonetheless.
The same probable cause determination is made as for an adult. This means that a police officer must have evidence that the child probably committed a crime that will be referred to as a "delinquent act."
A hearing before a judge must be held within 24 hours of the child being taken into police custody. Children are processed at the Juvenile Assessment Center in Palm Beach County, rather than the county jail. The Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) is located at 1100 45th Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33407. If the child qualifies to be held overnight, the child will be brought to the Juvenile Detention Center, which is at the same address, but in an adjacent building to the JAC. If your child has been just arrested and you are looking for information about them, you can call (561) 881-5020.
Police will sometimes keep a child at their police department for several hours before bringing them to the Juvenile Assessment Center. If your child has been arrested, be sure to pay attention to what police agency may have arrested them. That way you can call the particular police department to find out where they are. If you call the JAC and your child has not arrived there yet, then your child is likely still with the arresting officer.
Police Interviews With a Child
If your child is still at the police station, this means your child may be in a police interview room. It is important for you to call the police department and make very clear that you intend to hire a lawyer for your child and that the officer is not to interview them without that lawyer present. Call a lawyer right away so you have a name to provide to police department. This is the best thing you can do to discourage the police from attempting to interview your child while they are at the police station. Ideally, the child themselves will ask for a lawyer before being questioned, but most children do not know to do this. Remember that asking to speak with your child yourself or inquiring about your child's location is not as good as telling them you are hiring a lawyer for your child.
Also be sure to have that lawyer call the police department themselves while your child is being held. When I am called in such a situation, I prepare a letter to the arresting agency and officer asserting my client's right to remain silent and requesting an opportunity to be present for any interview police try to conduct. This will discourage police from attempting to interview the child at all. Children are very susceptible to suggestion and even minor coercive tactics, so they are likely to "admit" things that are not even true.