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When a
child is arrested by police, the arresting officer can cite the child
for a future court date or have the child taken to the police station
for finger printing,and to be photographed, and either released to the parent or
taken to a nearby juvenile hall.
In Los
Angeles County, the juvenile halls are Eastlake juvenile hall, Sylmar
juvenile hall and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. The Juvenile Prosecutor
has 48 hours (not including weekends, holidays, to file a juvenile
petition against a detained child. If the case is not filed in a timely
fashion, the court must order the child released while the case no
matter how serious the charges may be.
At the
initial court date known as the arraignment, the judge will set dates
for further court proceedings. If the child is detained, the court also
have a detention hearing also. During the detention hearing, the court
will determine whether the child should be held for further court
proceedings or whether to have the child released while the case is
pending.
At the
pretrial in Los Angeles County Juvenile Courts, the judge will have the
benefit of a a preplea probation report which contains a social history
of the child. Many judges call this the preplea date. This preplea report also contains a sentencing recommendation for
the court. The probation officer who writes this report will inform the court about the child's social history, including informaiton about the parents, and any mental health issues. This preplea report will also have recommendations about sentencing.
The recommendations may range from home on probation,
suitable placement, camp, or prison at DJJ otherwise known as the
Department of Juvenile Justice (formerly California Youth Authority.)
Although the report is merely a recommendation to the court, it does
carry some persuasive weight and should be taken seriously. This means
that the parents and child should arrive at their designated appointment
place on time and bring all the requested items. In addition, there are
other important things to know when preparing for the probation
meeting.
Because
of Proposition 21, certain offenses will stay on a child's record forever. This means that when the child seeks meaningful
employment as an adult, certain criminal charges may show up during a
background check. For these reasons and others, it is important to get a
highly experienced juvenile defense lawyer to represent your child.
Many
people ask if a private lawyer is better than a public defender. The
real issue when evaluating a lawyer is the experience the attorney has.
There are many private lawyers who lack the experience and knowledge to
provide effective legal representation in juvenile court. Therefore
getting a well known criminal defense lawyer who is well known in adult
court may not translate into success in a juvenile court room. The rules
and procedures are different. There is no right to a jury trial and no
right to bail in juvenile court. Our juvenile lawyers possess a high
level of knowledge and experience to provide effective juvenile defense.
Each
stage of the juvenile court proceedings are critical. Having an
experienced juvenile defense lawyer to represent your child could make a
difference in the outcome of the case.
We
have successfully handled more than 1000 juvenile cases.
We handle all juvenile cases in the state
of California. If your child has been arrested in the County of Los Angeles, contact our Juvenile Defense Lawyers can help you today. If you have been arrested in the County of Orange, contact our Orange County Juvenile Defense Lawyers today.
If your
child has a school expulsion hearing for an alleged violation of
education code section 48900, our education lawyers have the experience
and knowledge to provide effective legal representation. Many school
districts do not follow the necessary legal requirements to expel a
student. First and foremost, you need to understand that most school expulsion hearings are comprised of hearing panel members that are often colleagues of the school trying to expel your child. They are often comprised of retired principals, administrators and district personnel. Very rarely will you have counselors or teachers on the panel. They are often paid by the same school district trying to expel your child so there is an inherent conflict of interest. Also they often use student witness statements against your child but the education code does not require the school disclose the identity of the witnesses. This puts you at a disadvantage. However, an experienced school expulsion lawyer can successfully win these hearings. Our education lawyers can help you today.
George Kita is a former juvenile deputy district attorney. He has handled more than 1000 juvenile cases. He is a member of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He is only juvenile defense attorney that has received an award from the Los Angeles County Probation Department. Call him today. You may reach him at (626) 232-0970.
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys proudly serves the following cities
and counties:
Los
Angeles County
Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Angeles Vista, Artesia, Azusa, Baldwin Park,
Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Big Pines, Boyle Heights, Burbank, Carson,
Cerritos, Chatsworth, CIty Terrace, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina,
Culver City, Downtown LA, Downey, Eagle Rock, El Monte, El Segundo,
Flintridge, Foothill Division, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Granada
Hills, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, HIghland
Park, Highway Highlands, Hollywood, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale,
Korea Town, La Canada, La Cresenta, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La
Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lenox, Little Rock, Little Tokyo,
Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Los Nietos, Lynwood, Manhattan
Beach, Marina Del Rey, Monterey Park, Montrose, Northridge, Norwalk,
Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pearl Blossom, Pico Rivera,
Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills Estates,
San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Pedro, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs,
Santa Monica, Signal Hills, Sylmar, Temple City, Three Points, Torrance,
Valinda, Van Nuys, Ventura County, Verdugo City, Viewpark, Walnut, West
Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Whittier, Wilmington
Orange
County
Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Balboa Island, Brea, Buena Park, Capistrano Beach,
Corona Del Mar, Costa Mesa, Coto de Caza, Cowan Heights, Cypress, Dana
Point, El Modena, El Toro, El Toro Marine Base, Foothill Ranch, Fountain
Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra,
Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Leisure World,
Lemon Heights, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Modjeska Canyon, Newport
Beach, Orange, Orange Park Acres, Placentia, Rancho San Margarita, Rossmoor,
San Clemente, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Silverado Canyon, Stanton, Sunset
Beach, Surfside, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda
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