Why You Should Hire a Juvenile Defense Attorney
Children make mistakes all the time. Unfortunately, some of those mistakes land them in trouble with the law. About 1,909 children in the US get arrested each day. Children have legal rights, so, if your child gets arrested, they deserve a fair trial and have a right to legal representation.
A juvenile defense attorney represents your child in juvenile criminal court and ensures they get the best outcome possible. Your child can avoid a verdict that might compromise their bright future when they have legal representation.
This article highlights the benefits of hiring a juvenile defense attorney when your child is in trouble with the law.
To Protect Your Child's Rights
Arrests are chaotic. Sometimes, officers might not follow protocol during a juvenile arrest. Most children do not know their legal rights. Therefore, your child may not be able to defend themselves in the event of an unlawful arrest.
The Miranda rights are one of the laws that protect citizens' rights during an arrest. For juveniles, they include the right to have an attorney and a parent present during the hearing. During an arrest, police officers should read your child the Miranda rights. Otherwise, the arrest is unlawful.
When you hire an attorney, they review your child's rights to ensure there were no violations. The attorney talks to your child to ensure the officer read their rights during the arrest. They also check whether the officers who arrested your child conducted an illegal search.
If the attorney proves a rights violation during the arrest, they may file a motion to dismiss the charges or to establish the evidence presented as inadmissible.
To Improve the Chances of a Positive Outcome
A minor has little chance of winning a case without defense. Your child does not know the law and might give responses that incriminate them in court. Nevertheless, a juvenile defense lawyer knows how juvenile court works. Thus, they prepare your child for the hearing.
An experienced juvenile defense attorney coaches your child on how to respond to questions in court. They review the case details and develop a strategy to present your child positively. They can prove to the judge that your child is an innocent minor who made a mistake and not a criminal.
The lawyer helps you gather evidence to improve your child's chances. They look through their records and highlight their achievements. If your child has a previous criminal record, the attorney may try to show the court that the minor is a victim of circumstances and meant to do no wrong.
An attorney tries their best to have your child acquitted, and if that is not possible, they try to have their sentence reduced. If your child did not commit a serious crime, the attorney could get the case diverted to an informal setting so that your child has no juvenile criminal record.
To Protect Your Child from an Adult Criminal Trial
Sometimes, judges transfer juvenile cases to adult criminal court. Usually, these are cases that involve serious crimes such as murder or assault and battery. The court may also try minors with previous criminal records in adult criminal court.
Adult criminal cases carry more severe penalties and charges. Your child may even go to jail if tried as an adult. Therefore, you should avoid an adult criminal trial at all costs.
A juvenile defense attorney fights against the waiver to try your minor as an adult, which saves them from severe punishment.
As a parent or guardian, it is your duty to protect your child in all circumstances, even when they are wrong. Getting your child the proper defense in a juvenile case gives them a chance to mend their ways and do better.
At Kalasnik Law Office, we believe that a minor's mistakes should not define them for the rest of their lives. That is why we commit to defending juveniles to give them a chance to do better. Contact us today for legal representation in juvenile cases in South Central Pennsylvania.