When it comes to their children, some parents don’t want to admit that the kids have any substance abuse problems. They especially don’t want to acknowledge that their teens may have committed crimes to feed their habits.
So, when they get that call from the juvenile jail, they have a lot to reckon with. Below is some important information about ways that juvenile cases may be adjudicated.
Will my teen be offered a plea bargain?
Since only around 5% of those convicted in both juvenile and adult criminal cases actually go to trial, the chances of your teenager being offered a plea bargain are quite high. Whether they should accept the plea bargain or not depends on the entirety of the circumstances and the evidence that the prosecution has against them.
Sometimes, it’s not an easy choice
Teenagers’ lack of life experiences, dearth of critical thinking skills and tendency to be easily influenced by others make them poor candidates to make the judgment call alone. Ideally, parents and the teen’s legal counsel will help the teenager parse the options and make the right decision.
Why it could be good to plead
Plea bargains resolve cases and allow defendants to move on with their lives, albeit with consequences for their criminal actions. They accept this responsibility and the court’s plan to rehabilitate them and amend their behavior. Also, some of the best plea bargains mandate substance abuse or other mental health treatment to ensure that these actions won’t be repeated.
Why it might be a bad idea
Accepting a plea bargain is still a conviction that can and likely will haunt your teen far down the road of life. While some juvenile records can later be expunged, this is not a given and still could bar the door to financial aid for college, enlistment in the military and some career aspirations.
Weigh consequences carefully
With all that considered, sometimes a plea bargain remains the best possible outcome after a juvenile arrest. Learning more about the law and the consequences of breaking it can inform your choices.