Representing Juveniles in Las Vegas

What You Should Know About Representing Juveniles In Las Vegas

Representing Juveniles in Las Vegas is complicated. The juvenile justice system usually applies to children who are considered not old enough to be held responsible as adults for their criminal acts. In Las Vegas Juvenile Court, “juvenile” refers to an individual who is below 18 years of age, with specific exceptions and qualifications mentioned below. Children who are subjected to juvenile court jurisdiction in the city of Las Vegas should receive guidance and care, most preferably in their home, conducive to the child’s welfare and the interests of the state. When the child is removed from their parental control, the court should secure equivalent or a nearly equivalent level of care.

While there are many Juvenile attorneys representing juveniles in Las Vegas, there are some situations in which the young offenders might or must be treated in the adult instead of a juvenile justice system.

1 For serious crimes such as robbery attempted murder the Juvenile Court DOES have jurisdiction , but usually the prosecution will “ certify” the juvenile as an adult and try him in adult court.

even if the client is charged as a juvenile if it is a sex crime, they may need to register as a Sex offender for LIFE. That is why we often resolve cases with the specific purpose of making sure our client does not need to register

1. A child accused of attempted murder or committing murder at 13 years or above could be tried as an adult after a complete investigation and hearing by the district attorney.
2. If the child is charged with a minor traffic offense, a juvenile court could transfer the case to the municipal or justice court, with some restrictions.

What Happens When a Child is Arrested?

A child could be arrested by the authorities and moved to a detention facility for juveniles. The arresting police officer should make an effort of notifying the juvenile’s guardian or parent. In addition, the detention facility where the kid is being held should notify a probation officer and should also try to inform the child’s parent. At a detention hearing when representing juveniles in Las Vegas, the court could decide to: release the kid, release the youth with specific conditions (for instance, house arrest), or have the juvenile detained at the detention facility.

The Juvenile Procedure

Before representing juveniles in Las Vegas, it is crucial that you are conversant with the juvenile procedure and what each stage entails. Let’s dig deeper into the process.

Initial Custody and Detention

A probation officer or police officer could take a child into custody if the officer in charge has probable cause to believe the kid has violated a local or state law, regulation, ordinance, or rule bearing the force of law, or if the conduct of the child indicated that they need supervision. The officer should make an attempt of alerting the parents without delay.

Complaint and Petition

When a juvenile, peace officer, parent, school official, or other person complains or alleges that a minor is delinquent or requires supervision, a probation officer should investigate the claim to establish whether the need of guidance or a petition alleging delinquency must be filed with a juvenile court. If the probation officer recommends that a petition is filed, the district attorney bears the final authority to establish whether they should submit the petition.

Informal Supervision

A juvenile could be placed under informal supervision of the probation officer should the child voluntarily accept participation in all the acts alleged in the complaint. The conditions for informal supervision should be presented in writing and may demand that the child performs community service. The period of informal supervision should not exceed 180 days.

Supervision and Consent Decree

If a district attorney files a petition with the court and the court fails to refer the juvenile for informal supervision, the child could be placed under the supervision of the court upon recommendation by the probation officer and with the consent of the child’s parent and district attorney.

Is Your Child Entitled To An Attorney?

A juvenile in need of supervision or alleged to be delinquent is entitled to representation by an attorney through all stages of the proceeding.

What Are the Potential Dispositional Orders?

If a juvenile is found guilty, dispositional orders from the juvenile court could include the following terms:

• Family or individual counseling
• Community service hours
• Psychiatric or psychological evaluation
• Fines
• Driver’s license suspension
• No contact orders with specific places or certain people
• Mandatory school clause
• Letter of apology
• Participation in substance abuse or mental health treatment services
• Random drug or alcohol testing
• Restitution to victim

When representing juveniles in Las Vegas, we try to resolve the case with a consent decree. The case is resolved as a stay of adjudication. If the juvenile complies with the requirements ( anger management, counseling , community service etc.) the case will be dismissed. Call us today at (702) 385-9777 to see how we can help you with Juvenile Defense in Las Vegas or click here for more information.