Should you hire a criminal defense lawyer when a juvenile has been arrested on a narcotics violation? Consider that most arrests do not result in convictions or a sentence to a facility. It is possible to stop the progress of a case in the earliest stages. It is possible to get charges dropped or reduced early on. But no one – not police, not prosecutors, and seldom a judge – is going to offer up that information to a parent or a person under the age of 18 facing drug charges.
I believe drug attorneys play
a critical role in juvenile justice
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If the evidence is weak, a criminal defense lawyer can exploit that. Especially in situations involving drug use and possession and a group of underage people, police can cast a wide net that can catch kids who were simply in the wrong place. The evidence must be clear and specific and a trained lawyer will work to spot deficiencies. He will also be vigilant that the rights of the accused were protected.
Drug attorneys have opportunities to impact a case at various points along the way in the justice system. The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) studied what happens after arrests:
- 13% of juvenile arrests ended up with the young person being released without charges
- 43% of the charges were later dismissed
- Only 45% of cases were ever heard in court
- Of those that went to court, 17% resulted in a sentence of home supervision – not to a juvenile facility
Clearly, drug attorneys must have experience in the system as it pertains to underage people. Law is complex, and juvenile law is not the same as adult law. The longer a person has practiced in a particular county, the more they can bring to a defense. They will know which prosecutors don’t work very hard and which ones prefer to plea bargain. They can try to steer cases around particularly difficult judges. They know the players, and the players know them. A respected lawyer carries weight.
Experienced defense lawyers can try to reach out to the people who have discretion in how cases move forward and whether charges stick. The juvenile justice system has a lot of discretion built in, especially for young offenders with few or no previous offenses. Who exercises discretion?
- The police and sheriff: They have the discretion to issue warnings, or citations and also to release offenders. They decide whether to detain or to make an arrest. If you can get your lawyer to the jail fast enough, he could have success right there.
- District Attorneys: Drug attorneys who know the players can have an impact here. DAs decide whether to file charges. They can reduce, modify, or drop them altogether.
- Judges: Cases can swing in favor of the defense and can be thrown out entirely in hearings before a judge. In addition, a judge will decide if a guilty offender will get probation, be sentenced to an alternative program, or to a juvenile facility. Lawyers who are creative at presenting alternate sentencing proposals can genuinely help a client.
Valuable training for many drug attorneys comes from having worked in a District Attorney’s office, and having spent time prosecuting crimes. They then put that knowledge to work defending people facing criminal accusations.
I used to train prosecutors.
Now I beat them in court.
Call 805-477-0070 for a free consultation
Strongest Defense provides drug attorneys for defendants including juveniles in Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo, California. No attorney or law firm can make any promises or guarantee an outcome for your criminal case. The contents presented on this site are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Visiting this website does not establish an attorney/client relationship.
