A felony offense is a more serious crime, often those involving violence, sex offenses or repeat offenses. Felonies and misdemeanors are typically classified by their potential penalties, but in California juvenile court, a prosecutor may make the decision as to whether a juvenile crime will be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor.
For this reason, it is extremely important that a Los Angeles juvenile defense attorney becomes involved in defending your child’s rights as soon as possible. By an early intervention by a skilled lawyer, your child may be able to avoid facing felony charges altogether and instead face a lesser misdemeanor charge or possibly have the case dropped altogether before it goes to juvenile court.
A Los Angeles juvenile crimes lawyer at Okabe & Haushalter can offer you a free consultation regarding your child’s felony offense. At our firm, our lawyers handle felony juvenile offenses throughout all of Los Angeles, California, including: Torrance, El Segundo, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Lomita and Palos Verdes.
A felony juvenile offense in Los Angeles, California, may include the following crimes:
In general, crimes that involve violence or are committed by repeat offenders have a higher likelihood of being classified as felony crimes. Certain juvenile felony offenses may even be sent to adult court, where the minor will face adult penalties rather than juvenile court penalties.
The California Youth Authority, now called the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), is a potential penalty in the case of a felony conviction. The DJJ is comparable to an adult state prison but is for juvenile offenders. Established in 1943 as a reform school, the California Youth Authority has a controversial past rife with violence and dangerous situations for the juveniles incarcerated there. Although improvements have certainly been made, this type of incarceration can be viewed to be geared more toward punishment rather than rehabilitation, which is what the juvenile justice system should be all about.
Consult a Los Angeles juvenile crimes lawyer at our law offices as soon as possible if you think your child may be facing felony charges. When you work with a lawyer at our firm, we will do whatever we can to help your child avoid incarceration in the DJJ and receive rehabilitative treatment instead. Our experience and aggressive defense strategies have enabled us to help many minors retain the bright future they once had, even after felony charges.
Contact a Los Angeles juvenile defense attorney at our firm today to see how we can defend your child’s felony charges!