Juvenile Offenses

We always hope for the best for our children and that they'll grow up to have a wonderful future. It can be can be scary when your child gets charged with a crime and you worry what's going to happen to your child now and what's going to happen in the future. You need an attorney that's experienced with Juvenile Offences to help you understand the system and fight on your behalf.

The Juvenile Justice System differs with the system for adults in that a child is not automatically guaranteed to be let out on bond. A Family Court Judge makes that determination. A juvenile charged with an offense in South Carolina is not entitled to a jury trial. If the case goes to trial, it will be tried in front of a Family Court Judge. Any plea agreements or settlements will be approved by a Family Court Judge.

If Your Child is Charged With a Serious Offense

It used to be that the primary purpose of the Juvenile Justice System was rehabilitation, and to trust the parents to discipline the child and to get the child the help he or she needed. That's no longer the case. Now Solicitors and the Family Court Judges who are appointed for specific periods of time are facing significant political pressure to try juveniles accused of Serious Offenses as adults. In facts in some cases, Solicitors have attempted to get children as young as 12 years old tried as adults.

You need someone on your side to fight as hard as possible to get your child to be tried as a child in Juvenile Court. Regardless of the crime, as a juvenile, your child can be imprisoned until his or her 21st birthday if they are adjudicated delinquent (a conviction in Juvenile Family Court). If your child is sentenced to an indeterminate sentence by a Family Court Judge for a juvenile adjudication, it is possible that the Department of Juvenile Justice would transfer your child when they reach 17 years of age to the Department of Corrections to serve the remainder of their sentence with adult offenders.

If your child is adjudicated delinquent of a sex offense and placed on the Sexual Offender Registry, he will have to register for the rest of his life. While most Family Court actions remain sealed, the Sexual Offender Registry is life long - even for juveniles.

But there are many, many defenses that a good Juvenile Offenses attorney can use on your behalf to either win the case, or get the case significantly reduced after working hard to keep your child in Juvenile Court.

You need an attorney experienced in Juvenile offenses on your side. Call Alex Postic today to assist you with your child's case at (803) 771-8081.

Reception and Evaluation

When there are Juvenile Offenses and a record showing that the child has a history involved with getting in trouble such as talking back to his teachers, not showing up for school, getting into fights, having a temper with authority or any combination of these acts, the Solicitor will try to get the Judge to send the child to 'R&E for 30 days'. It sounds innocent. It's not. They send your child to Reception and Evaluation to determine whether your child should be sent to Juvenile Hall.

You take a child who is basically good, but who has some impulse control issues. I know as parents, we can tear our hair out at some of the control issues our children exhibit, but impulse control issues at one level or another are built into teenagers. You send that child down to Juvenile Hall, where they will be bullied by some juvenile offenders with some real problems and told ‘don't get into a fight' and ‘don't talk back', ‘don't get into trouble' or else you'll have problems and have to stay there. It's one of the most unfair things you can do to a child with problems and one of the hardest things the child can do in his life.

You need a lawyer experienced in Juvenile Offenses to keep your child out of the Reception and Evaluation Center and out of Juvenile Hall in the first place.

You need a lawyer to fight the Juvenile Justice System and to potentially propose alternatives to the Reception and Evaluation Center, so that your child doesn't enter Juvenile Hall and have to be locked up with juveniles that have done serious crimes and will have a negative impact on your child and his future.

You need Alex Postic on your side if your child has been charged with a Juvenile Offense. Call Alex Postic at (803) 771-8081 today.

Diversionary Programs

If your child is charged with a Juvenile Offense that is a less serious offense, there are diversionary programs that your child might qualify for. A diversionary program would be something equivalent of sentencing your child to probation, making certain that your child pays restitution if there is any, and doing considerable community service. At the end of the time period, if your child has not been in any more trouble, the offense is expunged from his record, BUT he has used his one and only chance at a diversionary program.

If your child is charged with a lesser offense, a diversionary program might seem the best way to go, but an attorney experienced with Juvenile Offenses can work to get the Juvenile Offense dismissed or reduced to a less serious offense and make certain that the diversionary program is not wasted on a minor offense and that is potentially available for your child at a later date, where everyone involved will hope he will not need it.

You need an attorney experienced in Juvenile offenses and determining whether it's best to use a diversionary program or to get the offenses reduced and to save the diversionary program for later. Call Alex Postic today to assist you with your child's case at (803) 771-8081.

Juvenile Alcohol and Drug Related Offenses

There are some criminal offenses such as possession of alcohol or possession of marijuana that have been de-criminalized to such a point that it's almost as simple as paying a fine and going about your life. The complications can be much more serious when you're a minor. While the criminal penalty for these offenses are minor, they can affect a person's ability to receive financial aid or scholarship money. This is a good reason why you might want to save a diversionary program when dealing with a minor offense at a younger age.

When dealing with any Juvenile Offense, you really need to know all of the implications involved, not just the criminal penalties. You need a lawyer experienced in the Juvenile Court System. Call Alex Postic today to assist you with your child's case at (803) 771-8081.