JUVENILE CASES

The law treats young people differently than it does older people in many ways. For one, young people who are under the age of 17 at the time of a criminal or traffic offense will be brought before a Georgia Juvenile Court rather than a State or Superior Court. This has numerous implications, as Georgia Juvenile Courts have a different purpose altogether than do adult courts, and as such the range of consequences for Juvenile Court judges are very different. From a procedural standpoint they operate differently as well. Juvenile Courts have an entirely different vocabulary than do courts that handle adult cases. For example, juveniles are "adjudicated," not "convicted."

For certain specific offenses, people over 17 can be treated differently than older offenders even if their case is brought in a State or Superior Court. For example, drivers who are under 21 years old in DUI cases or traffic matters are subject to harsher penalties and have more serious license implications than do older drivers.

If you (or your child) are under 21 and have been charged with a criminal or juvenile offense, you should contact a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney immediately. You should never simply pay a traffic ticket or plead guilty without having full knowledge of all the implications. 

Why Hire an Attorney for a Georgia Juvenile Court case?

You also should make sure that the attorney you hire has knowledge of Georgia Juvenile Court cases specifically, because they are very different from adult cases. An attorney who handles only adult cases is not equipped to handle a juvenile matter, whether the juvenile case is "serious" or not. For more information, contact me today.