Generally speaking, juveniles (15 years old and younger) who are alleged to be delinquent in North Carolina, usually due to an allegation of the commission of some criminal offense, have their matters heard in juvenile court. The juvenile in juvenile court is entitled to be represented by counsel. Counsel can be appointed by the court, in which case you have no say in the attorney appointed, or the juvenile can retain their own counsel.
The juvenile court records are full of cases that have been successfully resolved and the juvenile went on to be a productive adult with no criminal history. Nevertheless, juvenile court can also be the first step down a troubled road to an adult criminal record, unemployment and incarceration. Experienced counsel can prevent a juvenile from being sucked into or trodden over by a system that can lump good kids who made an isolated mistake into the same programs as truly troubled youths.
We are experienced juvenile defenders. Contact us for a free consultation in any juvenile delinquency petition.
