Juvenile Offenses

If your child has been arrested, the first thing you need to do is find out why he or she was taken into custody and how to get your child released.

Juvenile law previously recognized that children younger than eighteen years make mistakes and should not be punished like an adult. However, the law has changed and now young people are being charged and sentenced as adults if they are accused of committing certain crimes.

The prosecutor has the power to file criminal charges in adult court against a juvenile younger than eighteen years of age if it is alleged that the juvenile committed a violent or serious felony. In these cases, the juvenile's name and criminal records are made public unless there is an acquittal. If convicted, the court must sentence the juvenile in the same manner as adults.

Options are available to negotiate a juvenile court sentence or to challenge the evidence at trial, just as in adult cases.