The State Attorney has the discretion to charge certain juveniles as adults. Defending juveniles requires a certain understanding of the options available. Usually, keeping the crime in juvenile court means the resolution or sentence will be more focused on therapy and rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Convincing the prosecutor that the case should stay in juvenile court instead of adult court requires acting fast to complete psychological evaluations, lie detector exams, and providing school records. The benefits of keeping the case in juvenile court include that the records will remain sealed (so there won’t be an adult criminal history), and a much lower exposure to confinement.
There are also programs that are available in juvenile court that aren’t available in adult court. Two such programs result in the charges being completely dropped after about a year if all the sentencing conditions are successfully completed.
Guaranteed dismissals are a lot better than being charged as an adult. Acting fast can make all the difference. If you or someone you know has been arrested and is a juvenile and want to try and keep their case in juvenile court, call Matthew Ladd, Esq., for a free consultation, 305-665-3978.