Criminal offenders who are under the age of maturity (which is 18 in most states) will end up going through a criminal court system that is a little different than what you might be familiar with. Due to the fact that they are still a minor they will go through what is known as the juvenile court system. You should hire a Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer regardless of if it is your husband that committed a crime or your son. They are both going to need the legal assistance when they have to go before the judge.
The age groups that are covered by the juvenile justice system does vary slightly from state to state. However, there are some general rules that apply everyone. If a minor is under the age of seven years old, they are not going to be charged with a crime as a minor or an adult. Children under the age of seven are considered too young to completely understand the difference between right and wrong. The parents may still be held liable for the crime the child committed as the parent should have been watching their child better. You should at least consult with a Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer to understand your rights and the rights of your child.
Any Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer will tell you that children who fall between the ages of seven and fifteen are continued to be the best candidates for the juvenile court system. Children as young as twelve years old can be tried as an adult in the regular criminal court system if the crime was serious enough. It really just depends on how old the child is, what they did, and what their record looks like.
A minor getting arrested is very different from an adult as well. The police officer and decide whether to release the minor with a warning or to detain them and send them through the juvenile system. Any Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer will tell you that if the case gets sent to the juvenile court system, it still does not mean it is going to be on their record. The juvenile court officer could still decide to dismiss the case if they do not think the crime is worth spending any of the court’s time on.
