Main Factors Involved In Any Juvenile Criminal Case

It is always difficult to realize that one of your family members is charged with some kind of crime. However, it is even more difficult and heartbreaking to realize that it was you child, who broke the law and now needs to face the court. Indeed, most people think that their children would never do anything wrong, but let us face it – no one is perfect and when it comes to the children, there is a genuine plethora of factors that could lead to such heartbreaking results.

However, even if your son or daughter was accused of committing some type of crime, it does not mean that he or she is going to be judged like a genuine adult criminal. On the contrary – the juvenile justice system is different from adult one. It is crucial for our youth to realize that there are different paths in life and that anyone could change for the better.

The juvenile court judge is going to take many factors and your child’s background into consideration. First of all, he will want to know about your son or daughter’s behavior at school – how are they interacting with their teachers and classmates, what kind of grades they receive. If the grades are satisfactory and yet the child committed a crime, it may imply that he or she was simply bored and that he or she needs something more challenging in order to get out of the criminal system forever. Furthermore, the judge will want to know about the company of friends your son or daughter spending time with. What kind of people are his friends, and what kind of social activities they are all involved in. In many cases, the so-called “friends” have a very negative influence on the child, so our Los Angeles criminal lawyer recommends to keep him or her away from friends as such.

The relationship with parents at the child’s home is also a very important piece of information for the judge. He will want to know if the child feels safe with his parents and what is going on inside the house, when no one is looking. Some parents have alcohol or drug related problems. Their addiction may also have a genuinely detrimental impact on the child and his way of life. Furthermore, some parents abuse their children, not only hurting them physically, but also destroying their fragile minds. If that is the case, the judge might separate the child from his or her parents in order to make things better. In addition, the judge will want to know about any kind of extracurricular activities that the child is involved in. If your son or daughter is actively involved in playing sports, engages in additional activities and has certain hobbies, chances are, he or she will be less eager to commit a crime or to misbehave the next time.

Some judges also insist that the child should see a psychiatrist. The mental healthcare expert is going to determine if the child demonstrates abnormal behavioral patterns or is psychologically unstable. Dealing with those issues at an early age is much easier, so there is a chance that the child will recover quickly. In order for the judge to consider all of the above-mentioned factors to come up with a fair sentence, you will need to get in touch with a qualified Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. That way, there is a good chance that the child is going to be released and will not have to deal with all the legal consequences.