Guest post on “What are the Laws in California for Prosecuting a Teenager as an Adult?” is by Christopher J McCann an Orange County DUI Lawyer
Different states have different laws governing teenagers and/or minors. Age of adulthood can vary from one state to another as well. In California, teenagers who are at the age of 18 and up are considered adults. In some states, they need to reach the age of 21 before they can be called adults. Until then, they need to follow laws that govern underage citizens of their city or state.
Laws in California for prosecuting a teenager as an adult include, but not limited to, the following:
Underage Relationships
You can find some relevant information on laws about relationships between a minor and an adult from a reliable California government website.
Underage relationship laws in the state of California mean that an adult has a sexual relationship with a minor at least 2 years younger than him. This is a violation to the penal code of the state and is punishable by law. The term for such sexual relationship is called “unlawful sexual intercourse” whether there is consent given by the minor or none at all.
Penalties to adults who are caught or reported violating this penal code can be paying a certain fee of not less than five thousand dollars to twenty-five thousand dollars or being imprisoned for not less than a year to four years.
If a teenager of legal age (18 to 20 years old) has sexual intercourse with someone two years or more younger than him, he may be indicted as an adult (20 years above). But if a sexual relationship occurred between two young teenagers (say 16 and 14 years of age), they will not be prosecuted as adults but as per penal code of the state of California, their act will be seen as sexual intercourse between two children and this will be considered a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
Underage Driving
What are the laws in California for prosecuting a teenager as an adult with regard to underage driving?
Underage driving is very rampant in the state of California since teenagers can get their driver’s licenses as early as the age of 15 or 15 ½ to be exact. There are laws that guide teenagers under 18 to not running into trouble when they drive. One of those guidelines covers alcoholic drinks while driving. They are not allowed to minors as well as adults.
If a teenager, that is someone at the age of 18 to 20 is caught driving under the influence of alcohol, in other words, driving while intoxicated, he or she can be prosecuted as an adult should be. The same prosecution will happen if they violate traffic rules.
Other laws in California for prosecuting a teenager as an adult include laws on labor, dating, buying and selling, and others not mentioned. For keeping a clean record at all times, always follow your state’s law and you will never go wrong. Be productive and you can be of help to others, too.
Guest Post Author:
If you need to clear your mind about all these law requirements, you can consult one of the trusted criminal defense attorneys of Los Angeles and Orange County,California, Christopher J. McCann, and he will gladly lend his service with a free consultation
Christopher J. McCann writes about California teen laws such as Statutory Laws in California about Teen Sex Arrest Charges to California Teen Party to Teenager Drug Abuse Laws. Mr. McCann is a practicing criminal defense lawyers Santa Ana at the law offices of Christopher J. McCann who was recently awarded his 6thSuperLawyers Magazine “Rising Star” award. You can follow Chris tweets at @cjm_law_firm
