Juvenile Detention
What happens when a child is arrested in Florida?
Fort Lauderdale juvenile criminal defense lawyer
When a juvenile or a child is arrested in Florida and charged with a crime they are brought before a Circuit Court Judge who will determine the child's "detention status" based upon a scoring system which takes into account the child's criminal history along with they severity of the crime that they have been arrested for. These detention hearings are required to be held within 24 hours of a child's arrest. The hearings frequently occur before the child's parents have had the time to retain a criminal defense attorney. As a consequence, the child is in most cases represented by whatever assistant public defender happens to be on duty that day. That assistant public defender may have as many as 20 or 30 different children to represent in a given court session and the usually have very little time to prepare legal arguments for each of the children. As an attorney who has handled hundreds of cases involving juvenile detention matters, Broward criminal defense attorney Antonio D. Quinn, Esq. has the specialized skills and knowledge needed to get your child out of the juvenile detention center.Call Now (954) 463-0440
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What happens next?
After your child has been returned home, a detailed and comprehensive defense strategy needs to be put into place for your child.
Evaluations: Often when a child is arrested, they will need to be evaluated by one or more psychologists so that it can be determined whether or not they are mentally competent to stand trial and whether there are any counseling services which may benefit the child. Quinn Law, P.A. has relationships with some of the best child psychologists in the area .
Fight the charges: Most of the time when a child is arrested, the State Attorney's Office will file a petition for delinquency and the child's case will be assigned to the juvenile division of Circuit Court. In Florida a child who is over 16 years of age may have their case "direct filed" and sent to adult court if the crime with which they are charged is a very serious one or if the child has a lengthy criminal history. The State Attorney's Office has a great deal of discretion with regard to making a filing decision. Attorney Quinn will fight to keep your child's case out of adult court and your child out of adult jail. Although not entitled to a jury trial in Florida, juveniles are entitled to all of the protections afforded by the United States and Florida Constitutions.
Many police officers take advantage of the vulnerability of children by searching them illegally or even coercing confessions from them that they would not have given had they been able to consult with their parents. Antonio D. Quinn, Esq. will fight to protect your child's Constitutional rights like he has for countless children in the past. To schedule an evaluation of your child's criminal case, contact Quinn Law, PA at (954) 729-7770.