ANCHORAGE JUVENILE CRIME ATTORNEYS
As a parent of a juvenile or young adult, it’s normal to be apprehensive about the kind of activities that youths may get up to. While our children and teenagers often return home safe and sound, there are times when they have misbehaved and when this misbehavior constitutes as an offense. In these situations, it is important to understand the crime or offence that your child has been charged with.
Typical crimes committed by juveniles include theft, vandalism, assault, disorderly conduct, alcohol offences, curfew violations, and larceny.
If your child has been charged with any of the above offences, possible sanctions could include fines, penalties, curfews, or juvenile probation. Probation is by far one of the most common sentences that youth receive. If your child is under the age of 18, they are considered a juvenile for the purposes of legal proceedings.
If your child has been accused of taking an action that would be considered a crime for an adult, your child may have to take part in a delinquency hearing. Juvenile delinquency hearings typically hear cases on shoplifting, murder, and theft. During juvenile delinquency proceedings, an investigation takes place, following an arrest. Law enforcement officers are involved at this stage in order to respond to the crime and to find out how the crime took place. Law enforcement personnel gather evidence and take witness statements and the arrest occurs. Juvenile probation officers may assist with the investigation. Following juvenile proceedings, a sentence for the crime is usually given.
Theft committed by a juvenile
Theft and larceny are some of the most common crimes committed by juveniles. Common theft can include something as innocuous as teenagers stealing sports equipment from a school gymnasium. Theft can also be more serious, involving break and enters and auto theft.
Vandalism
While seemingly innocent to most juveniles, vandalism of private or public property is a serious offense. If your child has been caught vandalizing property, they could face steep fines and/or juvenile detention.
Alcohol offences
Alcohol offences are quite common at a certain age, particularly when social events prompt underage drinking and peer pressure is involved. A youth could be sentenced to fines or juvenile detention for an alcohol-related offense.
Disorderly Conduct
Disorderly conduct is an offense that covers a wide spectrum of actions. As disorderly conduct is a statutory crime, a judge is given wide discretion on sentencing the youth involved.
Disorderly conduct can include using vulgar and obscene language in public, vagrancy, and loitering. It is an offense that is similar to breaching the peace.
While the juvenile justice system is geared more toward rehabilitation over punishment, juveniles stand to face long-lasting ramifications of a conviction.
Whether your child is a student at the University of Alaska, Alaska Pacific University or is no longer in school, it is important to act quickly to ensure his or her rights are protected. The Anchorage juvenile crime lawyers at the Law Office of Dattan Scott Dattan have extensive experience defending clients in juvenile court. Schedule a consultation with a skilled criminal defense attorney to ensure your child is protected.
Alaska Underage Drinking Defense Lawyer
Our firm has experience handling a broad range of juvenile crimes, including:
- Drug crimes, including possession and distribution
- Violent crimes, including assaults and fights
- Sexual offenses, including rape
- Theft crimes, including shoplifting and burglary
- Underage drinking and underage DUI
Depending on the severity of the charge, your child might face devastating consequences that might ultimately affect his or her chances at scholarships, choice of university and other educational or work opportunities.
Contact our office so we can fight to get your child’s charges reduced or dismissed altogether. If we must proceed through the legal system, we will make every attempt to keep the child in the juvenile system, rather than face the more strict penalties in the adult criminal justice system. Trust our firm for vigorous representation and personal service.
Contact Our Office
Our juvenile defense Anchorage attorneys are well-experienced in juvenile matters. Specialized legal services and thorough research are our strong points. We offer a private consultation to every client. To arrange a meeting with an experienced Anchorage criminal defense lawyer, contact us by email or call our office at (907) 276-8008. We accept all major credit cards.