Some of the biggest things that I hear parents talking about when they come in for a consultation related to a juvenile case that one of their children has is that they are concerned that the juvenile offense and its consequences will ruin their child's future. However, it's important to remember that with the right legal support, a positive future is still very much within reach.

In other words, when the child tries to get into a good high school or college or goes to try to get a job in the future, that juvenile criminal conviction or that contact with the police is going to end up putting them in a bad position so that a potential college admissions board, for example, uses that conviction to deny the child from getting into the school or even looking further into the future, a potential employer sees that while that individual was a juvenile they picked up a criminal case and decides not to hire that person.

These are obviously concerns that make a lot of sense when you're concerned about your child's future. The criminal justice system for juveniles in Los Angeles is definitely a tough one. You want to make sure that when you hire your attorney, one of the first concerns that your attorney has is protecting your child's future — protecting their criminal record and making sure that everything is done in the best interest of your minor or juvenile or son or daughter;  So, the future is definitely something that you want to consider.

Depending on how severe the allegations are in a criminal case, another concern that you should have is that your minor is tried as an adult instead of as a juvenile because the adult court is much more likely to end in a conviction that you cannot get off your child's record.

Whereas, there are protections in the juvenile court in LA county that can result in your child's record being sealed and destroyed.  If the record is sealed and destroyed then your child will be in a position where nobody can see that record, offering a fresh start and a chance to move forward positively.

That even includes the police because once the record is sealed and destroyed, the Department of Justice and the police no longer have it on their computers.  Our system is set up to avoid these types of convictions.

Sealing and Destroying Juvenile Records

The only exception to this sealing and destroying is if your child is convicted of a 707b offense.  This is a welfare code section in Los Angeles county that lists all of the serious crimes that it is a lot more difficult to get rid of.  It's a lot more difficult to get rid of.  It's a lot more difficult to seal and destroy.

That's why it's so important when you hire your juvenile criminal defense attorney that that person is actually familiar with the Los Angeles juvenile court system, knows about these 707b offenses, how to avoid them, and what can be done so that if we can get your child back on line, we can be in a position to avoid that juvenile conviction that ends up being a 707b offense and stays on your child's record.

This is crucial because a criminal record can haunt your child deep into adulthood and prevent them from achieving many of the goals and aspirations that you have for them. So, you have to look at the type of offense that they're charged with in addition to trying to protect their future because convictions can result in very serious consequences.

For example, the three strikes law definitely applies to juvenile defendants. Any conviction that would be a strike as an adult, if a juvenile gets a conviction for that same crime and is sixteen years or older, would be a strike as an adult as well, and that will stay on their criminal record.

One exception to this is a residential burglary.  That will not be considered a strike.  But robberies, for example, are considered strikes if you're sixteen years or older and you sustain a conviction at the juvenile level for a robbery, then you can end up with a strike on your criminal record.

So, if you, in fact, have a juvenile criminal case pending against you, there are many different concerns that you should have. I encourage you to pick up the phone and call my firm. We will go to work immediately on protecting your child's rights to freedom and, most importantly, their future, empowering you to take control of the situation.