Cite as: 10 CNCA § 1111

All cases of children shall be heard separately from the trial of cases against adults. The adjudicative hearings shall be conducted according to the rules of evidence, and may be adjourned from time to time. The hearings shall be private unless specifically ordered by the judge to be conducted in public, but persons having a direct interest in the case shall be admitted. Stenographic notes or other transcript of the hearings shall be kept as in other cases, but they shall not be open to inspection except by order of the Court. The child may remain silent as a matter of right during said hearing, and before he is interrogated, he shall be so advised. A decision determining a child to come within the purview of this chapter must be based on sworn testimony and the child must have the opportunity for cross-examination unless the facts are stipulated. Where a child is alleged to be delinquent and the facts are stipulated, the judge must ascertain from the child if he agrees with the stipulation and if he understands the consequences of stipulating the facts.