Kids are charged with exactly the same crimes as adults. Sometimes kids are even tried as adults. In most cases, kids who are charged with crimes go to a special court called the Juvenile Court, to handle their case.

Under California’s Welfare and Institutions Code, kids who break the law can be brought into court and made “Wards” of the court. This means that the court is given special responsibility and control over the child in question. Before this can happen, a kid has to either admit a criminal “petition” (charges filed by the District Attorney), or have a petition found true by a judge after going through a trial. Free Consultation

Once made a ward, the court typically puts the kid on “probation,” which means they are assigned a probation officer and are given rules and restrictions to follow. Some of those rules and restrictions could be that the kid has to live somewhere else, like a group home, foster home, or special program home for juveniles. Sometimes kids can be ordered to stay at Juvenile Hall for a while, or go into special drug programs. There may also be community service, electronic monitors, court schools, and other conditions given to the kid who is on probation.

The goal of these programs (and the Juvenile Court as a whole) is to rehabilitate the kid in question. The court will try to determine what all of the “problems” are and give each kid their own rules of probation, designed just for that kid.

Kids that do not succeed in probation, and those who the court determines cannot be helped by probation, are sent to the California Youth Authority (CYA) to serve out what is essentially a prison term for all of the crimes he or she committed.

Furthermore, if someone commits a crime that is a strike while he or she is a kid, that strike stays on his or her record forever. Sex offenses can cause the kid to have to register as a sex offender as an adult. Serious offenses or behavior problems can lead to kids being taken away from their families.

Juvenile Crimes can be extremely serious. The consequences can last a lifetime. The system itself is even more complex than the adult criminal system, and you need an attorney who understands the specifics of the Juvenile System if you (or your child) is facing any sort of charges in the Juvenile Justice System.

(This is just a small summary of the Juvenile Justice System in California. This information is generalized. Juvenile Courts do not work entirely the same way as adult criminal courts, nor are they as straightforward.)

The above is posted solely as general information, and is not meant to serve as legal advice of any kind. By reading this page, you are not engaging in any sort of attorney-client relationship with The Law Office of Thomas J. Ogas, nor should you rely upon the information posted on this page to make any sort of decision other than who to hire as your attorney. Free Consultation

Please, if you are in any criminal trouble, consult with a lawyer immediately. Reading about the law online is not enough! (24Hr Help)