What Is a Juvenile Delinquent?
The definition of a juvenile delinquent is someone under the age of 18 who commits an act that would be a crime if the person was an adult. Juvenile delinquency is a more serious charge than status offenses (activities that are only crimes because of the person’s age) such as truancy, curfew violations and underage drinking or tobacco use.
Utah Juvenile Delinquency Defense Attorney
The Utah juvenile justice system seeks to intervene with young offenders early and intensively to prevent the young person from getting entrenched in a criminal career. But sometimes the juvenile justice folks intervene too aggressively and too early – assuming a young person is guilty of a crime when he or she may be guilty only of hanging out with the wrong people.
No matter what your child has been accused of, no matter what situation he or she is in, the Utah juvenile defense lawyers at Greg Smith and Associates can help. We are the voice for fairness and justice for your child in Utah juvenile courts. You can be confident that we will work hard to protect your child’s future. Contact the Salt Lake City juvenile delinquency attorneys at Greg Smith and Associates for a free initial consultation. You can call us at 801-651-1512 or contact us online.
How the Utah Justice System Sentences Juvenile Delinquents
Utah has a separate juvenile sentencing guideline for young people who have committed offenses. These guidelines allow juvenile court judges discretion to consider aggravating circumstances when they make sentencing decisions. The judge will consider:
- The seriousness of the offense (whether it was a crime against a person, against property or some other type of offense)
- The role the juvenile played in the offense (most young people do not commit crimes on their own; they do so with one or more friends or in a gang)
- The young person’s history
- Impact on the victim
- Whether the judge considers the young person to be a risk to society
When sentencing a young person for juvenile delinquency, the judge could sentence the young person to probation, supervision (parole), community placement (out of home) or secure care (a juvenile detention facility). If a young person is considered a chronic offender, he or she could be transferred to the adult criminal system. We work hard to keep young offenders in the juvenile system and out of the adult criminal system.
Contact an Experienced Utah Juvenile Defense Lawyer
A domestic violence charge does not have to ruin your life and your future. Contact an SLC juvenile defense attorney at Greg Smith and Associates for a free initial consultation by calling 801-651-1512 or contacting us online. We protect the rights of clients accused of domestic violence in Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem, Park City and surrounding communities in Utah.
