Juvenile Court & Delinquency

Defense of Juvenile Court Cases

Oakland County, Michigan ∙ Detroit Metro Area

Juvenile court is very different from adult criminal court. Minors facing charges in juvenile court have some special rights that adult criminal defendants do not have. On the opposite side, minors in juvenile court face some risks that adult criminal defendants do not face.

If your child is in trouble with the law, you should seek legal advice and representation immediately — from a criminal defense attorney who has experience representing minors accused of criminal offenses.

Peter Ellenson, Criminal Defense Attorney
Oakland County, Michigan ∙ Detroit Metro Area
248-691-9020 ∙ E-Mail

In my 15 years working as a criminal defense attorney — for both minors and adults — I have too often seen parents wait too long to get legal advice when their child is in trouble with the law. Some parents cannot believe that their child could be the subject of a criminal investigation, or they believe that the system would give their child a break. Unfortunately, the government often prosecutes children aggressively.

In reality, the best time to get help from a criminal defense lawyer is at the first sign that the police are investigating your child. Your lawyer can find out what the police are doing and can talk to you and your child about protecting his or her future.

Potential Penalties in Juvenile Court

Although minors are not officially considered "criminals" or "convicts" in the eyes of law, the penalties can still be extremely severe.

In juvenile court, a "crime" is called an "act of delinquency." Acts of delinquency include criminal conduct — such as car theft and assault — and "status crimes," such as underage drinking, possession of tobacco and curfew violation.

Penalties in juvenile court cases include:

• A fine
• Probation
• Time in juvenile detention

Under the law, a minor may be ordered to stay in juvenile detention (essentially a prison for minors), until the age of 19 or 21, depending on the crime. As an experienced juvenile court attorney, I will aggressively protect your child's rights in the juvenile justice system and build a strong defense to make sure any penalty is minimal and as fair as possible.

Breaking and Entering a Building: Kept Client's Record Clean

The Prosecutor charged my 14 year-old client with breaking and entering into a downtown Birmingham store with two other boys. The police caught the boys as they exited the store carrying stolen items.

According to the usual procedure, the court assigned the matter to a juvenile court referee. The referee refused any program for my client to keep his record clean. The prosecutor refused to plea bargain.

I demanded that the matter be assigned to a Family Court Judge. My client, his family and I put together a sophisticated campaign to convince the judge that my client deserved a second chance. After several months of court appearances, the judge agreed to handle my client's case under a special first offender program that would keep his record clean.

Read more about past cases I have handled on the Representative Cases page of this Web site.

Get Help From an Experienced Juvenile Court Lawyer Today

Get an advocate on your side who can fight back for your child — aggressively, intelligently and immediately. You need a smart and experienced criminal defense attorney on your side as soon as possible, to speak for you and build your defense.

Call 248-691-9020 anytime or send me an e-mail for a prompt response.