Houston Juvenile Crime Attorney
Children between the ages of 10 and 17 sometimes make mistakes because of peer pressure or poor judgment. Most juvenile crime cases are minor in nature but some are serious enough to make 14 year old child be tried as an adult and get the death penalty. But no child deserves to be scarred for life by a criminal conviction because they made an error in judgment or made the wrong friends. They should be given a second chance to prove their worth in their communities. If your child is facing criminal charges, you will need a defense attorney who will fight to protect the child’s rights and present a forceful defense if there is a trial.
How Juvenile Offenses Are Handled
Minor juvenile offenses are often adjudicated through probation officers with little or no involvement of the court. Probation is preferred most of the time because it is less harsh and can have the effect of rehabilitation unlike incarceration. Your child’s attorney can work to pursue probation as the sentence instead of incarceration.
Counseling or treatment for drug and alcohol dependency can also be recommended by your child’s attorney in court. Recommendations like these may show the judge that you are willing to deal with your child’s problems, which may make the judge lenient enough to recommend your case for deferred prosecution. If a deferred prosecution is agreed to by the judge, the case will be reset for 6 months. Within that period the case will be treated as if it had been dismissed, but if the child commits a crime within the probation period, they will be returned to court. There are more serious charges that may not lead to a probation sentence. They include:
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- Murder and manslaughter
- Burglary and vandalism
- Assault
- Possession of controlled substances
Probation Rules and Regulations
A number of juvenile offense cases often end with probation. The court decides the terms based on the crime committed by the child. Probation allows your child to stay at home but limits the child’s freedom and activities. Probation terms can include:
- Completing community service
- Attending certain schools
- Attending counseling
- Following set curfews and more
- Adoption Lawyers in Texas
- Juvenile Emancipation
Experienced Juvenile Crime Attorney
An experienced juvenile crime attorney should be able to handle the following cases:
- Graffiti
- Vandalism
- Drunk driving
- Violent crimes such as sexual assault and fighting
- Theft or burglary
- Criminal mischief
- Drug offenses
- Gang-related activities
- Staying out after curfew
- Arson
- Trespassing
Rights of the child
Child Protective Services Attorneys
Family Law Attorney Daryl Longworth is a child custody lawyer in Houston who went on a tear last month writing juvenile crime related articles. Many of our readers found those articles to be very helpful when we linked out to him from our Facebook page.
One Attorney points out that young people have rights that should be respected by everyone. They should not be subject to warrant-less searches (in violation of the 4th Amendment) or interrogations without their parents or attorneys present. Instead what normally happens is that responsibility for disciplining children has been taken from parents and handed over to police and teachers. Teachers and the police are more likely to treat children more harshly than the children’s parents would. If a child commits crime or offenses that may send them to adult courts, contact an experienced attorney to defend your child’s rights.