Attorney Roderman handles all types of juvenile offenses, including minor in possession, underage drinking, breaking and entering, trespassing, shoplifting, and vandalism.
Tree types of juvenile offenses
- When a juvenile commits an offense which would be a felony if committed by an adult, the juvenile is charged with being delinquent.
- If the juvenile commits an offense which would be a misdemeanor if committed by an adult, and it is the juvenile’s first offense, the juvenile is charged with being wayward.
- A juvenile may also be charged with offenses called status offenses, which apply only to minors, such as truancy, disobedience, etc.
An action against a juvenile is not considered a criminal action and the juvenile, even if found guilty, will not have a criminal record. With proper counseling, the charges can often be minimized or punished with a lesser or compromised sentence. Many of the procedures are the same, however, as those for adults charged with a crime.