Rule 661.Appeals as Poor Persons by Minors Found To Be Delinquent
Article VI. Appeals in Criminal Cases, Post-Conviction Cases, and Juvenile Court Proceedings · Last amended 1975 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRule 661 extends Rule 607’s appointed-counsel and free-transcript protections to an indigent minor appealing a delinquency finding or a revoked disposition.
Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 661
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Upon the filing of a notice of appeal in any proceeding in which a minor has been found to be
delinquent, or in which probation or conditional discharge imposed in such a proceeding has been revoked, appointment of counsel and the provision of a transcript of the adjudicatory and dispositional hearings without cost to the minors shall be governed by Rule 607.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 661 is short by design: it points an indigent minor appealing a delinquency finding, or a revoked term of probation or conditional discharge from a delinquency case, to the same appointed-counsel and free-transcript procedure Rule 607 gives criminal defendants.
The rule still needs to exist on its own even though Rule 660 already routes delinquency appeals through the criminal-appeal rules generally, because Rule 607, by its own terms, reaches only specific categories of criminal cases. Rule 661 makes clear those same protections extend to delinquency proceedings too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rule 661 provide for an indigent minor?
Appointed counsel and a free transcript of the delinquency hearings, following the same procedure as Rule 607.
Does this rule cover more than a plain delinquency finding?
Yes, it also covers an appeal from a revoked term of probation or conditional discharge imposed in a delinquency case.
Why is a separate rule needed for minors if Rule 660 already applies criminal-appeal rules to delinquency cases?
Because Rule 607 addresses only certain categories of criminal cases, so Rule 661 confirms it also reaches delinquency proceedings.
Who decides whether a minor is indigent for these purposes?
The trial court, once the notice of appeal is filed.
What transcript does an indigent minor receive under this rule?
The transcript of the adjudicatory and dispositional hearings, without cost.
Committee Comments
(October 1, 1975)
Prior to 1975, Rule 661 set forth the procedure for obtaining counsel and a free transcript of the proceedings below in cases in which an appeal is taken from a delinquency proceeding in the juvenile court. This procedure was the same as that provided in Rule 607 in the case of appeals from judgments in criminal cases. In 1975, Rule 660 was added, making the rules dealing with appeals in criminal cases generally applicable to delinquency proceedings. It was thus unnecessary to repeat the substance of Rule 607 in Rule 661. Because Rule 607, by its terms, applies only to appeals from certain types of criminal cases, it was necessary to retain Rule 661 to make it plain that Rule 607 applies.
Amendment History
Adopted effective May 29, 1968; amended September 8, 1975, effective October 1, 1975.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules,
promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:juvenile appeal free transcriptappointed counsel delinquent minor appealpoor persons appeal juvenile Illinoisindigent minor appeal rights