New Jersey Juvenile Crime Attorneys

Fighting to Help Youth in Our State Avoid Life-Altering Consequences

A juvenile crime, no matter how minor or severe, can impact your child for the rest of their life. Many juveniles run into trouble with law enforcement for criminal acts ranging from shoplifting and underage drinking to assault or domestic violence. If your child has been arrested in New Jersey, you need to work with an attorney who is accustomed to this unique type of legal situation. The simple fact is that not all legal professionals are experienced in this alternate justice system. That’s why it’s critical to seek the services of a New Jersey juvenile crime lawyer.

At The Bianchi Law Group, our dedicated legal team shares broad experience in the family court system — where every case classified as a juvenile criminal offense is dealt with. Persons under the age of eighteen are legally considered juveniles and are typically treated with more leniency than individuals who go through adult criminal court. However, there are many factors involved in every case, and the mitigating circumstances surrounding the criminal act may warrant a more severe penalty for your child. If your child gets into trouble with the law, you need to consult with an attorney right away.

Some older juveniles may be tried as adults before a judge, which will likely lead to more severe penalties and a more difficult case to defend. Consult with The Bianchi Law Group, LLC as soon as your child comes in contact with law enforcement. You need strong, aggressive legal representation who cares about your child’s future. With the right attorney, you may be able to greatly reduce charges or even have them dropped entirely. If your child has been accused of a crime, no matter how minor or severe, contact The Bianchi Law Group, LLC right away.

You deserve to feel confident and assured about your child’s future. Our New Jersey juvenile crime attorneys will stop at nothing to ensure your child receives the highest standard of legal care possible, in hopes of minimizing their penalties as best as possible.

Is My Child at Risk of Being Tried as an Adult?

In the United States, all fifty states and the District of Columbia provide for dealing with juvenile offenders outside the criminal system for adult offenders. The “Code of Juvenile Justice,” N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-20, governs juvenile crimes in New Jersey. The legal proceedings that surround juvenile crimes are complex. If your child has been accused of committing a crime and they are under the age of eighteen, this is considered a juvenile crime, and your child will be tried as a minor. Juveniles are held to a different standard and are often treated with more leniency than those tried for similar crimes as adults. The best option for your child is to be tried as a juvenile and to stay out of adult court as much as possible. On a few occasions, a court will consider whether rights accorded to adults during the investigation of crime are to be accorded to juveniles.

Penalties for juvenile crimes are rehabilitation-focused. Juvenile justice typically revolves around putting the juvenile on a better path for the future. The justice system will, of course, uphold the law and may require a fine or sentence in a juvenile detention facility following a guilty conviction. But in some cases, juvenile delinquency is so extreme that a judge may opt to try your child as an adult rather than as a juvenile in family court. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, although some states allow for discretionary sentences. However, juveniles tried as adults typically still receive longer sentences and tougher penalties than those tried as minors.

If the juvenile charged with a crime is a repeat offender, executed the crime with extreme depravity or a lethal weapon, or previously attempted rehabilitation, which did not work, they may be treated as an adult in court. In order to mitigate the risk of your child being tried in adult court rather than family court, you need to contact a juvenile attorney who is experienced with criminal law regarding juvenile delinquency. Not all defense lawyers are accustomed to the legal proceedings associated with underage drinking, drug possession, and other commonly occurring juvenile crimes.

The juvenile justice system is complex, and you need a defense lawyer with public defender experience to help out and protect your child. In the best-case scenario, your child’s criminal charges will be categorized as juvenile offenses only. If this happens, the stated goal of the juvenile justice process is to rehabilitate the child. However, those “adjudicated delinquent” (i.e., found guilty) can still face potential jail time. This is why it’s important to have a New Jersey juvenile crime attorney by your side. They can help you understand how the juvenile system works, the potential penalties, and how to best secure the most favorable outcome to protect your child’s future.

What to Do if Your Child Is Charged as an Adult?

If your child is at least 15 years old and charged with a serious crime (e.g., homicide, aggravated assault, sexual offenses), they may be waived to adult court. If this happens, you’re no longer in a situation where the state is focused on rehabilitation. They will treat your child like any adult charged in criminal court. This means the potential for life-altering penalties — up to and including imprisonment with hardened criminals. At this point, you need more than a New Jersey juvenile lawyer to handle your child’s case. You need an attorney who also has experience in the adult criminal justice system.

At The Bianchi Law Group, our dedicated team of lawyers can still help. While we do provide legal services for juvenile crimes, we also work extensively in the adult system. Whether your child is charged with a disorderly persons offense or an indictable offense, we have the experience and dedication to help them fight back. When you choose our law firm, you’ll work directly with a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney — a designation that not many other firms can claim. This means we can strive to have the charges against your child dropped or dismissed, but if this isn’t possible, we’re ready to go to court.

When a child finds themselves charged as an adult, the stakes could not be any higher. There have been children as young as 15 years old sentenced to life imprisonment in America. While this certainly is an outlier, it’s proof that children are typically not given leniency once they land in the adult system. Our law firm is made up of former prosecutors who understand how the government works. If your child is charged as an adult, they deserve to have a future. Contact us today and we’ll help you fight to ensure they have one.

How Does Juvenile Court Differ From Adult Court?

It’s important to understand the differences between juvenile offenses and adult offenses in New Jersey. It always bears repeating that the focus of the juvenile justice system is to help juvenile offenders rehabilitate. However, many aspects of this process look very similar to the adult justice system. For instance, when an underage individual is suspected of an alleged offense, they can be arrested just like an adult. Unless the offense is serious, they’ll be released to their parents pending juvenile proceedings. At this point, the case will be referred to the Family Division of the Superior Court.

For minor offenses, juvenile offenders may be offered diversion programs. These can include Juvenile Conference Committees (i.e., community member mediation), Intake Services Conferences (i.e., meetings with probation officers without formal court involvement), or community service and counseling. If diversion fails or there are aggravating factors (e.g., serious crimes, prior offenses), formal court proceedings will commence. If the child’s case results in a guilty verdict, the disposition will instead be referred to as adjudicated delinquent.

From this point, juvenile crime cases will move on to sentencing. This can be a stressful and heart-wrenching process for children and parents alike. Put simply, it’s very possible that a youngster could be hauled away to a juvenile detention facility. Even if the sentencing isn’t this severe, potential penalties can be disruptive even as they focus on rehabilitation. This is why you should have a New Jersey juvenile crimes lawyer review your child’s case and figure out what’s in their best interest. Punishment isn’t always the answer, and we can make sure your child’s unique needs are accounted for.

What Kind of Penalties Exist in the Juvenile Justice System?

When an underage person commits a criminal offense, the justice system is typically more merciful with these cases than those involving of-age adults. Juvenile offenses usually include drug possession, underage drinking, shoplifting, and other related juvenile charges. Your child’s criminal trial will probably result in community service if found guilty, as penalties are based upon strengthening the child’s character and encouraging them onto a better path for the future. Community service is typically the best-case scenario with regard to your child’s impending penalty. In some cases, juvenile crimes will warrant a high monetary fine, especially in the case of shoplifting or another crime of theft, which may require restitution payments.

In other situations, court-mandated therapy or anger management courses may be required. Every juvenile case is as unique as the individuals involved. If a judge determines that your child has been acting out and breaking the law due to anger or behavioral issues that can be mended by therapy, they may opt to require your child to utilize these resources. The law, however, can and will penalize high-impact crimes (such as assault) with a juvenile detention sentence, especially if your child is deemed to be a risk to society or in need of more supervision. Many parents fear being separated from their children and, understandably, will stop at nothing to keep them at home and with their families.

Only a criminal defense attorney with juvenile justice experience can defend your child before a judge and urge that the child’s best interest is at home. Not all defense lawyers are experienced with family court proceedings, so you need to work with a law office that’s focused on your child’s future and has the experience to defend them before a judge. At The Bianchi Law Group, you’ll work directly with a New Jersey juvenile lawyer who has fought diligently to protect many underage defendants. You don’t have to go through this alone. Contact us today for a free consultation.

How Will an Attorney Defend My Child Before a Family Court Judge?

First and foremost, your juvenile criminal defense attorney will listen to your child’s side of the story and piece together what happened on the day the crime was allegedly committed. Your lawyer will compile and assess all relevant evidence, including witness testimonies and physical evidence taken from the scene. A smart defense lawyer will leverage state and federal law as it applies to the facts of your child’s juvenile offense. Your attorney may take many defense angles. Some juvenile offenses are more minor than others, and if your child has an otherwise clean criminal record, your attorney will demonstrate your child’s eligibility to have their charges reduced or thrown out entirely.

In some situations, evidence is improperly collected from the scene via an illegal search and seizure. In this case, your child’s juvenile charges may be dropped entirely due to negligent mishandling of the evidence. Where applicable, your attorney may help form a plea deal. This demonstrates that your child has every intention of complying with court-mandated penalties. If it’s advised that your child should plead guilty, a plea deal will demonstrate your child’s willingness to comply with the law, which will likely result in minimized penalties or charges. At The Bianchi Law Group, LLC, our law offices are accustomed to legal proceedings that surround nearly every juvenile offense.

Unfortunately, not all juvenile defense lawyers in New Jersey also have public defender experience and are part of a law firm with a nationally recognized aptitude for winning cases. Only The Bianchi Law Group, LLC has all of the aforementioned credibility. Our law offices offer a free consultation to any parents worried about their child’s well-being in the future. Your child has a right to a fair trial and a right to work with a qualified and aggressive attorney. Our law firm will stop at nothing to ensure your child receives the best criminal defense attorney possible. When you’re ready for an advocate to help you navigate juvenile delinquency proceedings, contact us for a free consultation.

What Legal Defenses Are Available for Juvenile Crimes?

If police claim that an alleged offense occurred at the hands of your child, you may have a difficult road ahead of you. Many parents try to simplify matters by throwing their child at the mercy of the court. This is fairly common when prosecutors promise to focus on rehabilitation and leniency. However, it’s important to remember that you have other options. Your New Jersey juvenile defense attorney can explain each of these options and help you understand your child’s rights. In many cases, there are defense strategies that may prove effective:

• Lack of criminal intent
• Mistaken identity or false accusation
• Violation of Constitutional rights
• Lack of evidence
• Self-defense or defense of others
• Duress or coercion
• Entrapment
• Consent of alleged victim
• Mental health issues (may lead to mental health counseling as a diversion)

When county prosecutors come after your child, they’ll try their best to make it sound like the situation isn’t life-altering. They’ll tell you that juvenile records won’t follow your child for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true. Many of these records will not automatically seal when your child reaches adulthood, and it’s often necessary to go through an expungement process to clear your child’s record. Even worse, certain juvenile crimes are not eligible for expungement. Clearly, the juvenile justice process in New Jersey isn’t always as rehabilitative and lenient as claimed.

Fortunately, you don’t have to accept such an outcome. Our law firm will work hard to secure an outcome that works for you and your child. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Contact Our New Jersey Juvenile Crime Lawyers Today

At The Bianchi Law Group, each juvenile defense attorney at our law firm is dedicated to your child’s future and your peace of mind as a parent. If your child has been accused of any crime, minor or severe, it’s important for you to contact an attorney as soon as possible. In order to preserve your child’s personal and professional success in the future, you will want to ensure they have no criminal record — or at least the most minor criminal history that’s possible. Our law firm understands as a parent you may be nervous and concerned for your child’s future. That’s why we offer a free consultation for anyone who has any questions regarding their child’s juvenile case.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact The Bianchi Law Group, LLC for an initial case evaluation. You deserve to feel confident and secure about your child’s future. While juvenile crimes may not be viewed as seriously as adult criminal cases, the potential repercussions are sometimes the same. Even worse, being adjudicated delinquent under New Jersey law can have lasting effects — even though the stated purpose of the system is rehabilitation. The simple reality is that prosecutors are coming down much harder on juvenile offenders these days, so you need a dedicated legal professional who will aggressively advocate for your child.

Contact us at (862) 292-4442 to schedule your free consultation. Our New Jersey juvenile crime lawyers are here to help.