How is Juvenile Court Different from Criminal Court?
When children between 10 and 17 years of age are accused of committing a
felony offense or a Class A or B misdemeanor, their cases are handled
in the Juvenile District Courts in Harris County
(in other counties, it would be county courts or juvenile district). Rather than criminal law cases, these cases are considered civil law,
although certain aspects and rules of criminal law are applicable to
juvenile cases. Rather than being "found guilty", juveniles are instead
"adjudicated to have engaged in delinquent conduct". Furthermore,
rather than being released on "bond" like in criminal court, juveniles
are either released or detained depending upon the circumstances and the
ruling of the judge. Lastly, rather than being based on the offense
itself, punishment for juveniles is based upon guidelines and levels.
To
properly represent a juvenile, an attorney must be familiar with both
the civil and criminal aspects. Therefore, you should hire a juvenile
defense attorney who specializes in juvenile law. Houston juvenile defense attorney Jim Sullivan is Board Certified in Juvenile Law since 2004. Sullivan has 25 years of experience in both juvenile and criminal law and
devotes a large percentage of his legal practice to representing
juveniles. Call Jim Sullivan today at
281-546-6428.
