Juvenile Court Criminal Process In Columbus GA

In juvenile law, the criminal process isn't like that of adults. Juveniles are usually charged with being a delinquent or engaging in delinquent behavior instead of being charged with a specific crime. The case is brought before a juvenile court judge who sentences the delinquent with the objective to rehabilitate the juvenile.

A special court called the Juvenile Court is designated to handle juvenile delinquency cases and dependency cases. Delinquency cases concern charges of criminal law violations against a minor. Dependency cases involve allegations of child abuse or neglect against the parents or guardian of a minor. Juveniles can be transferred into adult court if the juvenile court waives or relinquishes its jurisdiction. The effect is to deny some offenders the rights and protections that have evolved in juvenile law. All states provide for some type of waiver mechanism, and most set a lower age limit (13 and 14 in a handful of states; 17 and 18 in most). Kent v. U.S. (1966) has become the settled law on how to properly conduct waivers.

Juveniles have different rights than adults, too. They don't have the right to a trial by jury. If a juvenile is accused of committing a very serious offense, such as murder or rape, the District Attorney, with the judge's permission, may decide to try the offender as an adult. The minimum age for a juvenile to be tried as an adult is differs from state to state, but can be as young as thirteen. A large majority of states (about 35) permit the execution of juveniles regardless of age.

If have been charged with a criminal offence in Columbus, GA (Georgia), Fort Benning GA (Georgia), Chattahoochee County, Harris County, Marion County, Muscogee County, Lagrange, Atlanta, Albany, Newnan, Peachtree City, Carrollton, Muscogee County, Troup County, Phoenix City AL or Opelika AL, contact us. Our DUI and Criminal Defense attorneys based in Columbus, GA (Georgia) can defend you against a DUI and criminal charges.

-------------------------
Columbus GA DUI Lawyer | Fort Benning Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney.

www.columbus-dui-defense.com