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If Your Child is Arrested, What Steps Should You Take?
If your minor child is charged with a criminal offense in Jefferson Parish, what steps should a parent take? The first step is contacting – as quickly as possible – the offices of a Metairie juvenile defense attorney for the legal assistance and advice that your family will need.
Young people make mistakes, but learning from these mistakes is what’s important. In most cases, the juvenile justice system in the State of Louisiana focuses on rehabilitation and options other than incarceration to help juveniles move ahead successfully with their lives.
Nevertheless, you must have the advice and services of a Metairie juvenile defense lawyer at once if your child is charged with a crime. The justice system for juveniles in Louisiana is distinct from the justice system for adults, but it’s equally confusing and complicated.
How is Juvenile Delinquency Dealt With in Louisiana?
In Louisiana, a juvenile is a child who is under the age of seventeen. A juvenile delinquent is someone under seventeen who has been adjudicated (found guilty) of delinquent conduct. Delinquent cases involve minors who are charged with committing criminal offenses.
The penalties for adjudicated juvenile offenders depend on the severity of the crime and whether the young person has previously been adjudicated of delinquent conduct. These penalties usually include probation, community service, diversion programs, counseling, and restitution to victims.
For more serious crimes, adjudicated juvenile offenders may be placed in detention in a juvenile facility. However, Louisiana’s juvenile justice system stresses rehabilitation, and in most cases, judges seek alternatives to incarceration to help minors successfully reintegrate into society.
What Will Happen if Your Child is Arrested?
If your minor child is arrested in Louisiana, that child will be referred to an intake officer who will evaluate the case and determine if formal charges are appropriate. If your child is charged, he or she may be placed in a foster home or juvenile justice facility while awaiting arraignment.
At an arraignment, a judge reads the charges to the child, and the lawyers for each side may discuss whether a plea agreement is appropriate or whether the case should proceed to trial. In the Louisiana juvenile justice system, there are no juries. All trials are conducted before judges.
At the conclusion of a juvenile’s trial, the judge determines if the juvenile should be adjudicated delinquent, which is comparable to a finding of guilt in adult court. If the juvenile is adjudicated delinquent, the judge then decides on and imposes the appropriate penalties.
What Are Your Child’s Rights?
Except for the right to a trial by jury, suspected juvenile offenders in Louisiana have most of the same legal rights that adults have, such as the right to stay silent and the right to a lawyer. If they’re in custody, they must be read their rights before they may be interrogated by the police.
In Louisiana, juvenile records are sealed and inaccessible to the public. If a juvenile meets certain conditions, his or her criminal record may be expunged – which means erased – when the juvenile turns eighteen years old.
How Does Pre-Trial Intervention Work?
Most Louisiana parishes offer pre-trial intervention as an alternative to prosecution for juvenile offenders. The prosecution of criminal charges is put on hold for the duration of the intervention program. Participation in a pre-trial intervention program is strictly voluntary.
How long does pre-trial intervention take? The length of the program depends on the severity of the crime and how well the juvenile satisfies the program’s goals. When the requirements of pre-trial intervention (such as community service, counseling, or paying restitution to victims) have been met, criminal charges against the juvenile are dismissed.
Pre-trial intervention is designed to provide restitution to victims, deter future criminal activity, and reduce the overall number of juvenile offenses. The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office offers pre-trial intervention that helps juveniles develop good citizenship practices.
How Will an Attorney Help Your Child?
As you probably know, the most common crimes committed by juveniles include underage drinking, drug possession, shoplifting, and vandalism. Although juveniles usually commit these crimes with no intent to harm others, such crimes are viewed seriously by the courts.
If your child is charged with a crime in or near the Metairie area, your best chance for keeping your child out of state custody – and for keeping your child from having a criminal record – is to contact a Metairie juvenile defense attorney as quickly as possible.
Don’t presume that everything will simply “work itself out.” Your child must be represented by a lawyer who will analyze the details of the case, negotiate with the prosecutor to have the charges dropped or the penalties reduced, and act as your child’s advocate throughout the process.
When Should Parents Contact an Attorney?
When a young person runs into trouble with the law, forgiveness and a second chance are usually all that’s needed. Of course, if your child is innocent and has been wrongly charged with a crime, you’ll need an aggressive attorney who will fight effectively for your child’s acquittal.
If your child is placed under arrest for any crime in Jefferson Parish, immediately contact a Metairie juvenile defense lawyer who has considerable experience and success working on behalf of young people and their families.
Who Should You Trust With Your Child’s Future?
At The Bradley Law Firm, we bring our considerable legal skills, our ample experience, and our dedication to justice to every client and every case. The legal team at The Bradley Law Firm will protect your child’s legal rights and bring your child’s case to its best possible conclusion.
Since 2011, The Bradley Law Firm has provided effective defense representation to both adults and juveniles who are charged with crimes in Jefferson Parish. We’ve established a reputation for superlative client service and legal excellence.
Nothing is a higher priority than your child’s future. If your child is charged with a crime – now or in the future – contact The Bradley Law Firm at 504-336-1717 to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation evaluation of your child’s case.
