Juvenile Crime Lawyers

Since we all were kids at one time, it’s easy to remember making dumb, unsafe, or un-wise decisions without thinking of the consequences. For better or worse, this is really a big part of our society’s maturing process, where we hopefully survive long enough to learn how to be much more responsible for our actions.

That’s why there’s often some degree of sympathy among many of us for young people who make mistakes — most of us have been there at certain moments in our past and don’t want to go back.

At the same time, we live in a nation of laws, and even kids need to be held accountable and be offered the opportunity to make amends, and hopefully show that they’ve learned a lesson. This way, they won’t repeat the same dangerous or misguided activities again.

There are certainly youth who commit serious crimes regularly who may merit serious punishments, such as members of gangs or people arrested for violent activity. In many of these cases, authorities and local communities want to make sure they’re off the streets and away from society for a long time, regardless of their age.

But there are other juveniles who may need more guidance vs. penalties, and the opportunity to think about their future rather than their past. It’s this area where the offices of Anderson & Carnahan can help. The Colorado Springs defense attorneys have more than 30 years of legal experience working with the state’s judicial system at the adult and juvenile levels.

Every case and every young person is different, but we enjoy the opportunity to work with families to provide competent legal representation for someone charged with a crime, no matter their age.

The juvenile justice system is designed to provide accountability, but there is also the potential for harsh penalties.

A crime committed based upon impulse or peer pressure has the potential to impact someone for years. Penalties may include incarceration for months or years plus significant fines for the suspect or their family.

Also, a visible criminal record as a juvenile or adult can potentially impact everything from job applications to college admission consideration.

There are some steps that can be taken to make it difficult for people to access juvenile records, but the best course of action for teens and their families is to work with a Colorado defense attorney prior to any verdicts being declared or sentences handed down.

Colorado Judicial Department contains quite an array of laws that apply to juveniles. Some have adult counterparts, such as vehicle offenses and violent crimes, and some are reserved for kids only like possessing alcohol, tobacco or marijuana. Violations the juvenile court system has jurisdiction over are called delinquent acts.

Treatment of suspects

Some of the difference between adult and juvenile court system include slightly different legal rights. A juvenile who is not under arrest can’t be searched or can refuse to have their belongings searched. But if they are arrested, they are subject to search, except for their vehicle that requires a warrant. However, if the vehicle is owned by a parent, he or she can consent to a search.

When someone is arrested, officers are required to read their Miranda rights. Once this is given, further questioning must be done in the presence of a parent, guardian or legal custodian.

Sealing/Expunging Your Records

Juvenile records can be protected, or sealed, from public view, and in certain cases expunged, which means there will be no public record.

There are certain circumstances for the expunging process, which can be complex. It requires significant effort on a Colorado juvenile attorney’s part, including making sure the prosecutor in that case won’t object, and a judge also needs to sign off on it.

Circumstances where a sealing or expunging might be approved can include certain prominent, personally embarrassing crimes such as prostitution, felony-level narcotic trafficking or stealing public transportation. People caught up in these types of worlds and cultures in their youth may be serious about wanting to put any charges behind them, not wanting to be reminded of all the details when they become adults, or for any future employers or media to access this information.

Contact An Experienced Colorado Juvenile Law Attorney

The legal team at Anderson & Carnahan can work with clients and their families to not just defend criminal suspects, but if necessary, propose acceptable alternatives to lengthy incarceration or significant fines, including diversion, which is a process where criminal charges or a sentence may be dropped or reduced after a certain period of good behavior.

Community service is also often seen as a useful option, where teen offenders can spend a certain number of hours helping local charities. This can help educate juveniles about some of the needs in their community. It also can teach that local non-profits always appreciate helping hands, especially when the alternative is sitting in a detention center not assisting anyone.

Part of our experience has even involved working as a prosecutor in the juvenile justice area, so we’re familiar with the process and what different ides generally look for in terms of appropriate sentencing or other possible legal outcomes.

Although there is a fear among juveniles unfamiliar with the system that prosecutors always want to throw the book at “the bad kids,” people are often surprised how open they are to exploring options to encourage rehabilitation and the opportunity for juveniles to turn their lives around. This can create more likelihood that they can go on to be productive members of society and less likelihood that they will transition into the adult judicial system.

The team at Anderson & Carnahan would be happy to provide a free case evaluation so we can learn more about the current situation and how we can help. Please contact us today through our website contact form or (719) 473-9099.

Back to Practice Areas