The State of Ohio considers a juvenile to be anyone under the age of 18.
If a child was charged with a crime, they would be prosecuted for that crime in Juvenile Court.
Any criminal charge is serious and should receive quick attention.
Effective action should be taken to investigate the circumstances and pursue any options that may mitigate the situation, whether the charges are for a misdemeanor or a felony.
If your child has been arrested for a crime, the first thing you need to do is contact an experienced Dayton juvenile crimes attorney.
Our Ohio criminal defense lawyers are always ready to provide clients with aggressive and reliable representation.
Ohio Juvenile Charges: What Is the Juvenile Crimes Definition?
If you have a child that has been charged with a crime, a Dayton criminal defense attorney can be very helpful in assessing the situation at hand.
Section 2152.02 of the Ohio Revised Code contains the definition of a juvenile crime.
Under this section, a child is someone who has not attained the age of 18. An adult court will hear cases involving crimes committed by someone 18 or older.
However, if the police charge someone with a crime while that person is under 18, then the juvenile court has jurisdiction until the person reaches 21.
Ohio’s juvenile court rules allow the transfer of cases to adult court for disposition as though the child was 18 or older.
That means your child could go to state prison if the crime was so serious that the court punished your child as though they were an adult.
Having a knowledgeable juvenile crimes lawyer representing your child could help plan a defense strategy that gives them the chance to avoid facing an adult sentence.
Punishment for Juvenile Crimes
Fortunately, the prosecution is handled differently in juvenile court than in adult court.
This is due to the belief that intervention and rehabilitation may be more effective than punishment for juveniles.
Therefore, sentences—particularly for first-time offenders—tend to pursue rehabilitation as the primary goal.
Juvenile court judges have many tools at their disposal to help rehabilitate children and get them on the path to becoming productive, law-abiding adults.
Punishments for crimes that remain in juvenile court include:
- Reprimand from the judge;
- Unsupervised probation;
- Supervised probation with conditions;
- Court-ordered placement of the juvenile in a community program;
- Court-ordered placement of the juvenile in a residential setting; and
- A sentence of incarceration to a detention facility.
These potential penalties apply to crimes that are either misdemeanors or felonies.
If the charge is a felony, then the judge also has the option of sending your child to either a community correctional facility or to the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS).
Depending on the severity of the crime and the age of the child, however, they could be held in DYS custody until their 21st birthday.
The punishment for juvenile crimes must take an individualized approach.
Having an experienced and dedicated juvenile crimes attorney by your child’s side can help protect their rights and mitigate any negative impact on their future.
Sentences should focus on addressing the causes of juvenile crimes.
Juvenile courts in Dayton see children from all walks of life. Unfortunately, being a “good parent” does not guarantee that your child will avoid the criminal justice system.
Children get into trouble for all sorts of reasons. One of the reasons is lack of maturity.
Sociologists, criminologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and medical doctors have all studied children’s brains to determine when a child reaches maturity.
Although a child reaches their peak physical maturity in their mid-to-late-teens, their brains continue to develop until they reach their mid-20s.
As a result, children think they are invincible and engage in risky behaviors that adults would not typically consider.
Risk-taking for some kids is part of growing up. Some kids grow out of it, especially if they are afraid of the consequences.
But there are other reasons why children commit crimes. Family issues can cause psychological trauma, and this trauma may result in the child acting out in a negative or violent way.
Children who were exposed to violence early in their lives are more likely to act violently as they age. Also, children often try to imitate each other.
That means some children get into trouble simply because they see other kids doing it. This is especially true when children begin taking drugs and drinking alcohol.
There is no single cause of juvenile delinquency. The juvenile courts can try to identify the causes of delinquency in each case and work with you to correct your child’s behavior.
Contact an Ohio Criminal Defense Attorney Today
It can be a frightening experience for the juvenile and parents alike when a charge is brought against the child for a crime committed.
A juvenile defense lawyer with Gounaris Abboud, LPA will review the circumstances that resulted in the arrest in our free initial consultation.
This will give us an understanding of the case that will help us to construct a defense that may help you to achieve a more favorable result.
You need an experienced defense attorney in Dayton to help in your juvenile crime case.
Our firm has over 50 years of courtroom experience and our legal team consists of a former magistrate, acting judge, and prosecutor.
We understand the frustration, trauma, and apprehension that might be experienced by everyone involved and we will take the utmost care in answering your questions and pursuing avenues that will protect the rights of the juvenile.
Call us today at 937-222-1515 or contact us online for help.