Newport Beach Juvenile Delinquency Lawyer
While Newport Beach deserves its reputation for being a safe and beautiful place to live, there were over 220,000 juvenile arrests in California in 2005. And juvenile delinquency law is not one size fits all. In general we think of it as law dealing with a minor under the age of 18 years, but whether someone is tried as an adult or a juvenile depends on the type and severity of the crime. Getting transferred to an adult court and having your case being dealt with there as opposed to in a juvenile court is very different. Adult proceedings can be public while juvenile proceedings occur in a closed courtroom. Also, the consequences are generally harsher. Newport Beach juvenile delinquency lawyers know, however, that most crimes committed by juveniles are misdemeanors. And young people in Newport Beach, as anywhere, often do things they shouldn’t and get themselves into trouble, sometimes due to drinking or drugs, but which might have lifelong consequences. The juvenile court exists because we, as a society, recognize that those under the age of eighteen should not be tried under the same circumstances as someone over the age of eighteen who has the ability to fully understand their actions and the respective consequences, which is something that many people under eighteen are not able to do. The juvenile court works to rehabilitate the juvenile delinquents as opposed to punishing them in hopes that they will change for the better as they mature. There are a number of signs that may indicate that a child may be on the path to becoming affiliated with juvenile delinquency. These include a constant violation of any rules put in place, whether those rules be established at school or at home, and aggressive behavior towards others. There are some steps that can be taken to help ensure that any at-risk minors do not fall into the trap of crime. For example, counseling and substance abuse treatments can be helpful in preventing juvenile delinquency.
Regardless of whether the charges are minor or serious, our Newport Beach juvenile delinquency lawyer believes that everyone deserves the most passionate, committed, and vigorous criminal defense possible. This is true of criminal defense more broadly, but Newport Beach juvenile delinquency lawyers knows that juvenile cases need special attention and the defendants have different needs and problems than dealing with adult defendants. These young defendants have their entire future at risk in these criminal cases and they need a strong advocate in their corner. In addition, there have been instances where youthful people who had engaged in juvenile delinquency have managed to turn their life around and advance in a more positive direction as their grow up and enter into society as a contributing adult.
Our Newport Beach juvenile delinquency lawyer has successfully defended many juvenile delinquency cases in California courts and also works to empower young people and their families to help them stay out of the criminal system. Contact the Newport Beach juvenile delinquency lawyer at the Johnson Criminal Law Group for a consultation about your case.
