Article 9 of the Saudi Juvenile Law

This article sets the periods of detention of a juvenile and who may extend them, in three stages:

1. Five days: the juvenile's detention ends after five days. If the investigator considers that it should be extended, he must, before it expires, submit the papers to the head of the Public Prosecution branch, or whichever of the heads of departments within his jurisdiction he delegates, who issues an order either to release the juvenile or to extend the detention for one or successive periods, provided the total does not exceed fifteen days from the date of arrest.
2. Up to sixty days: in cases that require a longer period, the matter is referred to the Attorney General or whichever of his deputies he authorizes, who issues an extension order for one or successive periods, none of which exceeds ten days, and whose total does not exceed sixty days from the date of arrest. After that, the juvenile must immediately be referred to the competent court or released.
3. Beyond that: if the case requires a longer period, the court may approve a request to extend the detention for one or successive periods as it sees fit, provided that it issues a reasoned court order.

Note that all the periods are counted from the date of arrest of the juvenile. Detention takes place in the facility, and if there is no facility where the juvenile lives, he or she is transferred to the nearest facility under Article 8. In places with no facility, Article 10 provides for handing the juvenile over to his or her guardian against an undertaking after hearing the juvenile's statements, unless the Public Prosecution sees otherwise.

If a juvenile's detention is prolonged and the family wants to check that these periods are being observed, they can consult a lawyer specializing in criminal and juvenile cases.