Criminal Cases
What Happens in Juvenile Criminal Cases?
By A Nutt
Juvenile law deals with crimes committed by minors. The age limit to be considered a juvenile offender may differ from state to state, but is typically around age 17. Generally, the offender must have been under the age of 18 when the crime was committed to be considered a juvenile. If your child or someone you know is being accused of a crime, the following information can help you understand the basics of the juvenile law process.
Prosecution
When a juvenile crime is reported, parents are contacted, and a hearing is scheduled. After the case is deemed worthy of prosecution, a court date is scheduled. Depending on the nature of the crime and many other factors, the child can be detained or released into the custody of their parents or guardians until the court date.
Juveniles have the same constitutional rights as adults. These rights include the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present, the right to cross-examine any witnesses speaking against them and so on.
In juvenile cases, as in adult cases, the police are obligated to inform suspects of these rights. In many states, social workers or counselors are also assigned to criminal cases involving minors as defendants.
Crimes committed by children, ranging from traffic violations and petty theft to more serious crimes such as rape or murder are prosecuted by city, state or federal agencies. Court proceedings tend to be a bit more informal than the typical adult prosecution. In most states, court records in juvenile cases are sealed so that no one from the public can access them. If after the case is tried in court the juvenile is determined to be guilty, he or she is adjudicated.
Adjudication vs. Conviction
Traditionally, in juvenile criminal cases the focus has been on reform rather than punishment. Because of this, prison sentences have typically been shorter than they are for adults committing comparable crimes.
Unlike a conviction, a juvenile court adjudication stays off the child's record as far as job applications go. Most states require that adjudicated juveniles be released from custody upon turning 18.
The landscape of juvenile law is starting to change somewhat in many states. More juveniles are being treated in adult courts, especially in very serious cases. Additionally, the emphasis is starting to shift a bit from reform to punishment. Make sure you speak with a qualified attorney in your area who can explain the way juvenile court works in your particular municipality.
Some types of adjudication made in juvenile cases include:
Fines or restitution
Community service
Probation
Juvenile detention (jail)
If there is even the slightest suspicion in the minds of the parents that their child may have committed the crime in question, it is crucial to hire a good defense attorney. If the juvenile is found to be guilty by a court of law, a good lawyer that is well versed in these types of cases can be instrumental in negotiating a less severe punishment.
January 25, 2011
4:52 pm
Criminal cases?
Is there any criminal case where you found it interesting?
Not meaning that you like it or love it or anything like that. Can you tell me one or more of the cases you found interesting?
Also, are there any funny criminal case? Like the one where some guy tries to escape and smashes his face against a window and that mark that he left on the window was used to capture him(I think that’s funny). So in total, I would like you to give me two different kinds of cases. However, you can still give me one of them and still be chosen as best answer if I find that case the most preferable out of all.
Good one Heidi but I need to know the name of that case or at least the link to it.
I would like to know the details of the case by looking it up rather being explained to me.
June 3, 2011
1:22 am
There was an interesting case about a 19yo in Cairns who brought abortion medication into Australia in order to perform her own abortion. Although abortion is not illegal per se (at least I don’t think so) it has to be done in a sanctioned clinic. The point of this case was that it was a section of legislation that hadn’t been used for close to 50 years. That and the fact that abortion needs to be decriminalised in Australia.
July 4, 2011
8:10 pm
What are some recent Australian criminal cases I can do case studies on?
For my Legal studies class I have to pick 4 cases which apply to criminal law that have happened within the last year? Can anyone suggest some cases?
July 26, 2011
5:23 pm
I have a good one for you. True story. A guy robbed a bank and got away. He returned to his home. Police saw the video from the bank and recognized a local repeat offender they knew. They went to his house to arrest him, hoping they’d be able to prosecute with the great video that shows him pretty clearly. As they put him in the cruiser, he asked one of the officers to go into his house and bring him his black leather coat. The officer brought the coat but of course had to pat down the guy and have him remove the items from the pockets. The coat was the exact same one on the video, and in the pocket, was the stick-up note, written on the back of a document with the guy’s name on it. Great evidence!
July 26, 2011
8:09 pm
What are some criminal cases in which forensics was a key element in the investigation?
What are some criminal cases in which forensics was a key element in the investigation?
July 29, 2011
6:47 am
I live in Australia and I haven’t really noticed it.
July 29, 2011
8:43 am
Charlie for a CJ major you sure aren’t putting to good use your investigative techniques.
Go look in Yahoo or Google for cases that were based on DNA evidence or at least started out with fingerprints. Those would be your best bet for a forensic type based investigation and trust me they are on the net you just have to go look for them.
But just to be nice I’ll get you started
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/baton_rouge/5.html
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/richard_rogers/1.html
July 29, 2011
8:08 pm
Lack of public information on Australian criminal cases? What kind of Australian laws restrict public details?
I’ve been watching some Australian news on the net and I’ve noticed that the public is always given practically zero info on criminal cases. They usually give a vague idea of what happened and that is it. No details of the crime, no idea of who is being charged, what exactly happened etc etc. Has anyone else noticed this?
It just seems to be a stark difference of the availability of info in the UK or the US.
July 29, 2011
8:23 pm
the Scott Peterson case is flawed.
July 29, 2011
10:23 pm
What are some relatively famous criminal cases in which the evidence collection and analysis was flawed?
I’m looking for criminal cases in which the forensic portion of the investigation was poorly handled and ended up jeopardizing or affecting the case badly. NO OJ SIMPSON.