Juvenile Defense Attorney That Protects Your Child's Future
The world starts falling apart when the police inform parents of their child's involvement in illegal activities or crimes. The first thing they want is to get their child out of the police custody and save them from whatever penalties the child will face. If the case is not handled right, the juveniles could relapse to crimes in adulthood and have the tag of conviction destroy their entire life. At this point, they need support, which only an understanding juvenile defense attorney can provide.
Law Office of Mark A. Velez takes juvenile defense cases under its wing of support, trust, and reliability. We come up with a plan that never lets your child feel scared, misunderstood, or misjudged. We will represent you in the court of law to ensure your child's future is secured from any stain in their record.
Juvenile Charges, Penalties, And Aftermath
As your committed juvenile dependency attorneys, we have witnessed and fought for several juveniles and their families from misdemeanors to felonies in a wide variety of cases. However, we believe that youths are treated differently from adults in the court of law. Any negative impact on their record is worse enough to tarnish their entire life.
A minor between the ages of 10-16 is treated in the juvenile system when charged with a crime. If the child over 14 years of age has committed a serious crime, they could be tried as adults. Juvenile crimes could include traffic violations, running away, possession of drugs, criminal mischief, underage drinking, joyriding, assault, vandalism, shoplifting, assault, and other violent actions.
As your juvenile criminal defense lawyer, we know how the justice system works. It focuses on the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders instead of punishing them. Here, the juveniles could be fined, educated, sent to rehabilitation centers, and spend their time in community work.
Under California juvenile laws, most juveniles are sent to probation, which varies from mild to severe full house arrest. If the child has committed a felony, they would be transferred from their homes and community to boot-camps and guarded facilities until they complete their rehabilitation program there. If the crime is of an adult nature, the child might be sent to an adult system.
What Happens After My Child Has Been Tried?
When your child has been convicted and tried, the prosecution charges go in their records. The police, prosecutor's office, the juvenile prosecutor's office, and the juvenile court will keep the documents regarding juvenile offenses and offenders in their respective regions. If your child commits delinquency or gets into further trouble, these agencies could bring up the documents for that reason.
Even if the public is unaware of the juvenile records, these do not disappear after the delinquent turns 18. These records could be brought up to devise stricter punishments for criminals with a juvenile offense history. However, these records are kept secure, so the child's past may not conflict with their higher education acceptance, credit card application, or employment opportunities in the future.
How Our Juvenile Defense Attorney Helps You
If your child committed a crime before they were 17, they have a juvenile record. While a lot of information and media coverage could bring attention to serious juvenile cases and demolish your family's reputation, you need to hire an expert juvenile defense attorney who could evaluate all the possibilities for your child's defense.
With his competent expertise in law enforcement, Mark A. Velez has worked intimately with the juvenile system, where he devises a plan that involves all the legal options to creating the defense action bolstered with facts and evidence. We believe that children can be led astray and commit mistakes, but that doesn't mean their overall life should be shadowed with the crime's charge. We'd want to tell your child's story in a way that the costs are either reduced to the minimum or are dismissed altogether. Let our juvenile defense attorney help your child with compassion now.