Jacksonville Juvenile Defense Attorney

Call a Jacksonville juvenile lawyer at (904) 564-2525 for help.

Was your child arrested in Clay County for drug possession? Was your teenager accused of shoplifting and petty theft in St. Johns County? Was your daughter arrested for drinking underage and possession of alcohol by minor in Nassau County? Is your son fighting charges for fighting, affray, or battery in Duval County? If you have ever been arrested or accused of a crime, you know of the stress this a criminal case will put on a person. This is even worse for children and teenagers. When a child is dealing with a Jacksonville juvenile delinquent charge, it is important that he or she gets the help and support from a Jacksonville juvenile lawyer that he or she deserves.

Duval County Juvenile Attorney

Juveniles should not be treated like adults under Florida’s criminal laws. It is obvious that middle school and high school students act on impulse and do not address problems the same way that adults do. Florida law takes this into account this difference and so should Jacksonville juvenile delinquency courts. The Florida Criminal Punishment Code 921.002 states that the primary goal of a criminal sentence for adults is to punish the Jacksonville criminal defendant for committing a crime. Therefore, if an adult is charged with Jacksonville domestic battery charges in Duval County, the main goal is to punish the person for committing the domestic battery. Rehabilitating the criminal defendant is secondary. Florida juvenile laws are different. Florida Statute Section 985.02 states that the Florida juvenile justice system should protect the community from crime, but rehabilitation is still very important. The Florida juvenile justice system considers it a high priority to prevent and reduce juvenile crimes. For instance, a juvenile is arrested for drug possession in St. Augustine. The St. Johns County court will try to rehabilitate the child, so he or she will not use drugs.

Florida Juvenile Criminal Law

Florida law requires Jacksonville’s juvenile justice system to implement programs that do the following:

1. Focus on strengthening the family and allowing children to stay at home in lieu, instead of in county juvenile detention centers.

2. Divert children from the courtroom and into an intervention or diversion program.

3. Provide rehabilitative treatment to juvenile criminal defendants.

When you are looking for a Jacksonville criminal defense attorney to help your child, experience matters. You want a Jacksonville criminal lawyer with trial experience and that knows how to handle juvenile cases in Northeast Florida. We all know that children and teenagers will make choices based on emotion. A child’s bad decision may cause Florida criminal record. It is not fair to hold children’s pasts over their heads long after they have matured.

Find a Juvenile Lawyer

If you child has been arrested, you need to seek help right away. If you or someone you know has been arrested for a juvenile crime Clay, Nassau, St. Johns, or Duval County, contact a Jacksonville Juvenile Attorney at 20 Miles Law. Feel free to talk to a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer at (904) 564-2525 or email a lawyer.