I run into way to many situations where I walk into court and my client already has a state prison offer because of a juvenile conviction that was a serious or violent crime.  Too many people are not taking their juvenile cases serious enough to hire private counsel and are working out deals with the public defenders in juvenile court that send them home on probation.  Some of the charges they plea too are considered serious or violent crimes, a 211, for example.  The client deals with a bunch of therapy, community service and other consequences but doesn’t spend a day in juvenile camp so they agree to this plea bargain that seems like a great deal considering what they have done.  Unfortunately, it seems as if they are not being advised that these types of convictions will be considered strikes and could greatly affect any future cases if they are charged as an adult in the future.

Just because you do not receive any jail (camp) time as a juvenile, that doesn’t mean you are getting a good deal.  It is very important to consult private counsel on all types of criminal cases, including juvenile cases.  If you have any questions on juvenile matters, please contact Matthew J. Cohen at The Law Offices of Daniel R. Perlman at (310) 557-1700.