Douglas County Lawyer for Juvenile Charges – Set the Plea Up for Expungement / Sealing
Did you know that in Douglas County and across Colorado there are some crimes which a juvenile is accused of which many not be sealable or able to be expunged? For this reason, if your child has been charged in a delinquency action with a crime, be sure and get some help early on. Just today, I was in this court and convinced the DA to change the charges from a felony to a misdemeanor. This greatly helped my client do better with his future criminal record’s expungement. A juvenile criminal defense lawyer was very important to this young man who hopes to get his record expunged one day.
Adams County Attorney for Juvenile Adjudication Allegations
It is always essential that your lawyer not accept plea bargains which can affect your child’s future for years to come. It is best to have a juvenile Attorney who can persuade the district attorney to offer a sealable offense when your child must take a plea. After 40 years of combined experience, our lawyers know how to investigate a criminal juvenile case and present those results to the DA. Remember, there are several classes of offenses which cannot be expunged. These include:
· An aggravated juvenile offender
· A violent juvenile offender
· An adjudication for a crime which is classified as a crime of violence
· When the child is charged as an adult for a crime committed while a juvenile
· An offense of unlawful sexual behavior
Jefferson County Juvenile Records Expungement and Sealing – An Easier Process Than Adult Records
Under Colorado law, a judge in Golden, Colorado and across Jefferson County, can expunge a juvenile’s criminal record. Imagine, for example, a case where a child received a deferred adjudication to an expungement friendly charge. Once the deferred adjudication is over, the case can quickly be expunged or sealed. In other cases where an adjudication enters, your child can still expunge his record after a waiting period following the end of probation or a Jefferson County Jail sentence. Always have your attorney study potential plea ideas to present to the court and DA, which will meet your child’s needs for expungement and sealing. For example, if your child is about to start applying for college, their juvenile criminal case should coincide with applications for admission. If the case is timely expunged, they will not have to admit on the college application that they have been convicted or adjudicated. This could get them into the college they really want to attend.
Denver and Arapahoe County Juvenile Lawyers – Sealing vs. Expungement
Sealing is what we do with adult records. Expungement is what we do with juvenile records. There are different rules and laws on the two. For example, many more juvenile adjudications can be expunged than adult convictions can be sealed. Another difference involves speed. There is a new law passed recently which can get some adult records sealed immediately for little cost. The juvenile process can take more time. Finally, there is cost. There is no filing fee for most juvenile record expungements. Adults most always have filing fees. More about Sealing vs. Expungement.
We suggest that you hire a criminal defense attorney to PLAN AHEAD with your child’s juvenile case. Planning ahead, means that your child only pleads guilty or admits a petition which allows him or her to timely expunge their criminal record. You need to know your options in advance and plan how to achieve the best result for your child. Don’t expect it to just happen. That never works out. Call us at 303-731-0719, today. Together, we can protect your child’s future.
Image Credit: Pixabay – Wokandapix