Los Angeles Juvenile Criminal Defense Lawyer
With a wealth of experience defending juvenile cases over the past twenty-five years, I can confidently say that it is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a criminal defense attorney.
My commitment to helping families and young minors get back on the right path is unwavering. In a juvenile case, it's not just the minor who needs to get on the right path; it's the family, and I'm here to support them every step of the way.
The minor's interactions with his family and school are crucial to building a relationship that can permit that minor to be successful in life and survive independently. We know how to defend the juvenile and protect their rights.
Some of the top concerns that I hear parents talking about related to a juvenile case is that the consequences that flow from it will ruin their child's future.
Best Interest of Child vs. Protecting Society
In Los Angeles County, in juvenile cases, the juvenile delinquency courts are set up – if the cases are handled the right way – to act in the best interest of the minor and to make sure that the minor is given the proper care and the proper resources to be a successful member of society.
However, on the flip side, the juvenile courts in Los Angeles are also there to protect society. If minors are going too far with their actions and become dangerous and violent, the courts will step in and punish them very harshly.
This can include sending them to adult court through a fitness hearing, where they try to kick them out of a juvenile court and move them into the adult court where the punishments can be longer and much more harsh, in a much more violent and vicious atmosphere.
So, please make no mistake about it. Los Angeles juvenile courts will come in like a ton of bricks if the minor in question is dangerous and needs to be dealt with accordingly. Could you contact our juvenile crime lawyers if that is the case?
How We Can Help You with Your Juvenile Case
What I try to do is set up a game plan and a strategy to get the minor out of the juvenile system as fast as possible and to make sure that their record is protected so that in the future, when somebody runs him when they're trying to get a job, they cannot find that criminal record.
When it comes to erasing juvenile records, I have a proven track record of success. The motion for this is a Motion to Seal and Destroy the Record, and I always file these motions and am very successful with them.
However, the key to juvenile defense in Los Angeles is setting the case up for success in the future.
We must ensure that whatever the minor admits can be sealed. 707B offenses of the Welfare & Institution Code cannot be sealed and will remain on the minor's record, depending on their age at the time they commit the offense and what they admit in the juvenile petition.
Defenses for Juvenile Cases in Los Angeles
It's interesting because many people don't realize that, in a juvenile case in L.A., you're not entitled to a jury trial. Any trial that you do will be in front of a judge, and a lot of these judges in the juvenile courts are tired – they've heard a lot of cases.
A lot of times, they don't believe what minors have to say when it comes to defending themselves – and they'll believe the police and probation officers over them, and even regular civilians will have more credibility to the judge than a minor in a juvenile case.
That's where your attorney comes in. Your attorney has to fight back, put on witnesses, argue evidence, and argue motions if necessary to give you a fighting chance in a juvenile case if you choose to go to trial.
That's where I have been most successful in helping the minor and their family decide whether they should go to trial and whether they have a chance to win. If it's a winnable case, your juvenile criminal defense attorney must pull out all the stops to ensure it is won.
That means the matter should be dismissed through evidence, the law, argument, attacking the prosecutor's witnesses, and convincing the judge that the prosecutors have not sustained their burden in a juvenile case and only experienced lawyers know how to handle such cases.
Deciding Whether You Should Go to Trial
When you sit down with your attorney, you want to give him all the details related to the juvenile matter without any spin and without omitting any key facts; then, your attorney will be in the best position to judge your juvenile case and help you make the right decisions.
Wisdom, knowledge, and local connections are crucial in deciding whether a case should be tried or negotiated.
Some of the factors you want to look at are the person's criminal record, the witnesses against them, and how credible their testimony is. You're going to use your common sense and think about what a judge would do in a particular juvenile matter if they heard the evidence in the case.
I like to get you in the office, get all the details, and get an honest account of what happened.
Then, we're going to set about designing a plan to resolve the matter by way of dismissal, if we need to do a court trial, or by way of getting character letters, letters from teachers, letters from family and friends that show the minor's good character.
This is so that the juvenile judge will give him a chance, put him home on probation, keep him out of the juvenile justice system, and allow them to seal and destroy their record in the end.
What Are Common Juvenile Crimes?
We often don't associate criminal acts with our children unless they are victims of crime. But in today's society, some of our youth are committing violent crimes every single day, typically against others around their age.
A recent national study has shown that children between the ages of 12 and 18 are at the highest risk of being the victim of violent crimes. In addition, one in every twelve school-age children is injured or threatened each year by a weapon.
We understand how upsetting and scary it can be to find out that your child is being investigated for, accused of, or arrested for severe criminal behavior. That is why our lawyers will do everything possible to have the charges reduced or dismissed. Some common juvenile crimes include the following:
- Carjacking
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- DUI (Driving Under the Influence)
- Sex Crimes
- Shoplifting
- Drug Crimes
- Theft Crimes
- Hate Crimes
- Assault Charges
- Burglary
- Robbery
- Gang Crimes
- Vandalism
If your son or daughter is under 18 and commits a severe crime in California, he or she can be either cited and released or held in a juvenile detention facility. If your child is taken to the juvenile detention facility, they must attend a hearing before a juvenile judge to determine what punishment will be dealt with.
Before the hearing, the judge will talk with the juvenile probation officer and arresting law enforcement officer to determine if your child is potentially a further risk to the public.
California Youth Authority
If your child is determined to be a risk, they can be incarcerated at the California Youth Authority (CYA) up until age 25. It is also essential to note that in some cases, depending upon the crime committed, your son or daughter can be charged and sentenced as an adult to jail or state prison.
In juvenile court, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the juvenile did commit the criminal act.
A juvenile has the same rights as an adult regarding the right to an attorney, the right to a speedy trial, the right to confront witnesses, the right to introduce evidence, and the right not to testify. If you are still determining how these rights can be exercised, our lawyers can help you.
In some cases, the probation department and the district attorney may choose to file a petition with the juvenile court to have the case transferred to adult court due to the nature of the offense. As Juvenile crime lawyers, we do everything we can to prevent that transfer from occurring, as juvenile court rulings are less severe than adult court.
We understand that children make mistakes. However, these mistakes do not need to define who your son or daughter is. We will help get your child back on track. We will aggressively defend their legal rights and look for alternatives such as rehabilitation and counseling instead of incarceration.
What are the Warning Signs?
The following are warning signs that a juvenile may be at risk for committing a serious crime:
- Peer pressure at school
- Loss of temper daily
- Disciplinary issues
- Frequent physical fighting and aggressive behavior
- Frequent threats towards others
- Vandalism or property damage
- Use of drugs or alcohol
- Risk-taking behavior
- Detailed plans to commit acts of violence
- Announce threats or plans for hurting others or property
- Enjoying hurting people and animals
- Fascination of weapons and violence
- Weapon in their possession
- Gang membership or desire to be in a gang
- Run-ins with law enforcement
- Uncontrolled anger
- Poor social life, withdrawal from friends
- Poor grades in school
- Victim of bullying
- Failure to acknowledge the rights or feelings of other people
- Exhibits feelings of rejection or loneliness
- Feelings of not belonging or being disrespected
Related Content:
