Juvenile Court Proceedings

Take care of your child.

If your son or daughter is involved in a juvenile court proceeding, their future is at stake. Juvenile court is different than the traditional court system. First, there is no right to a jury trial. Secondly, there is no right to bail. This is serious business. Please make sure you hire an experienced juvenile defense lawyer in order to protect your child’s freedom.

It’s your child’s future. Call the Law Offices of Elliott N. Kanter at 619-330-5881
for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.

How the juvenile court system works.

The detention hearing.
Your child’s first court date is the detention hearing. Here, the judge will determine if your child should remain in custody. Your child’s attorney can enter a plea to admit or deny the petition. The judge will take the following factors into account:

• Is another person’s safety compromised if your child isn’t detained?
• Is your child’s safety comprised if he or she isn’t detained?
• Is your child a flight risk?
• Has your child violated a prior court order?

We will fight hard to protect your child’s best interests.

If your child is detained.
If your child is detained in custody, he or she will receive a trial within 15 days. If your child is not detained, their adjudication day will be within 30 calendar days.

If your child is not detained.
The first court date will be the arraignment where the pretrial and court date will be set.

At the pretrial.
The pretrial is where the attorneys on both sides can possibly negotiate a resolution. The pretrial must occur within a week of the arraignment unless both parties agree to a later date. Often times, a case can be successfully negotiated at this stage.

The court adjudication.
Instead of a trial jury, juvenile court trials involve a judge. Your child has the right to an unbiased judge. An experienced juvenile attorney knows which judges might be more sympathetic to your child’s case.

Do not let your child talk to the police.

Please, don’t let your child talk to the police. The police may appear compassionate and understanding. They may say, “Your child just needs to tell us what really happened.”

But the truth of the matter is everything your child says could be used against him or her. Being questioned by police is a frightening experience for any child. An innocent child may admit to a crime that he or she didn’t commit.

Don’t delay in calling an experienced San Diego juvenile court attorney.

As soon as your child is in custody, you need an attorney. An experienced attorney might be able to negotiate a case before formal charges are drawn. So don’t delay in calling the Law Offices of Elliott N. Kanter at 619-330-5881 for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. We’ll get started right away in fighting for your child’s rights and protecting his or her future.