15-year-old Gerald Gault and his friend prank called a woman.
Hearing 2
Juvenile Detention!
The woman Gerald called complained about their indecent phone call. Gerald was taken into custody and no note was left for his parents.
Supreme Court
The next day Gerald had his first hearing, where nobody wrote anything down or recorded what was said. The judge said he would think it over, and Gerald was kept in custody for two or three more days.
Supreme Court
At his second hearing, Gerald was sentenced to juvenile detention till age 21.
Gerald's lawyers argued that the State of Arizona had deprived him of his liberty without due process of law. They argued that the Constitution guarantees due process to both juveniles and adults.
Hey, that's not fair!
The Supreme Court decided that states can treat juvenile offenders differently from adults. They decided that they can't deny kids basic protections of the Constitution.
