We never like to think that our teenagers are bad, or could become involved in some sort of crime or vandalism. We like to think that our kids are generally well-behaved, law-abiding citizens. But countless young adults find themselves wrapped up in allegations of crime. Sometimes it is a matter of the teen exercising poor judgement, sometimes the teen is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and sometimes it is the result of false allegations. Whatever the case may be, if your teenaged son or daughter is facing allegations of wrongdoing, you need to hire a criminal defense lawyer immediately.
Being Proactive Is Best
Being proactive is the best strategy when it comes to protecting your teen from needing a criminal defense attorney. The following includes some general tips for parents to help their teen stay out of trouble:
- Have a sit down with your teen to explain basic protections, such as how a teacher or principal can’t simply demand the teen student to reveal the contents of his or her phone without a reasonable suspicion that the phone contains evidence of misbehavior. The same thing goes for searches of lockers or backpacks.
- If your teen finds the concept of his or her rights confusing or difficult to remember, an alternative approach is to instruct your teen to call you or your spouse before agreeing to anything at school (i.e., searches, providing information, etc.) that might get him or her in trouble.
- Parents should have a criminal defense attorney in mind in case their teen needs one. Like insurance, you hope to never need a criminal defense lawyer for your teen, but when you and your teen are in the thick of it, you’ll be glad that you already picked out a lawyer, just in case.
Why Your Teen Needs A Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyer
Being charged with a crime is scary because of how serious the consequences could be. Being convicted of a crime, even while a teenager, can be a problem. Teens can be charged with any number of crimes, ranging from minor offenses to serious ones, like murder. Teens 17 years old and under are generally treated as juveniles in criminal court. However, for violent crimes, teens can sometimes be charged as adults.
Teens aren’t usually involved in violent crimes though. More commonly, teens get into trouble at parties where underaged drinking and underaged possession of alcohol take place. A skilled criminal defense attorney could get a first-time juvenile offender into a diversion program. Upon completion of the diversion program, the charges against the teen will be dropped by the prosecutor.
Contacting A Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney
Teens can get themselves into many different types of trouble, and when they do, it is important to contact an experienced Massachusetts criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.