If your child has been charged with a juvenile offense in South Amboy, you are required to hire an attorney to defend the offense. The law believes that a minor should have every chance of moving ahead with their life without a record and other consequences and therefore requires that they be represented in all juvenile criminal proceedings. The defense lawyers at our firm, the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, are excellent candidates to serve you in this role as former Middlesex County Prosecutors who have been successfully representing juveniles arrested in South Amboy and surrounding municipalities for decades. Contact our office at 732-751-4458 for a free consultation with a lawyer on our team. Attorneys are available any time of day or night to assist you so do not hesitate to call.
Juvenile Criminal Offenses in South Amboy, New Jersey
Cases involving individuals under the age of 18 who have been charged with committing a criminal act or violating the law are usually dealt with in a juvenile court. These special courts are separate from the adult criminal court system and are designed to meet the special needs of minors.
The New Jersey juvenile court system is different than its adult court system in many ways. To start with, juvenile cases are often heard in different courthouses than adult cases. In South Amboy, cases involving juveniles are handled at The Family Division of Middlesex County Superior Court, located at 120 New Street, PO Box 2691, New Brunswick, NJ, phone number 732-519-3205. Common juvenile charges in this court include:
- burglary
- CDS distribution
- aggravated assault
- terroristic threats
- robbery drug possession
- simple assault
- sexual assault
- criminal mischief
- marijuana possession
- weapon possession
- criminal trespass
There is also a different administrative process for juvenile cases. Furthermore, the courtroom setting and the people inside the courtroom are different. In fact, many of the judges and prosecutors involved in juvenile cases are different and have a different perspective than those who handle criminal matters on a daily basis.
The Consequences of Juvenile Offenses in South Amboy New Jersey
The juvenile justice and the adult justice system have very different goals. The overall goal of the juvenile justice system is the rehabilitation of the juvenile offender in order to help them eventually become productive members of society. On the other hand, the goal of the adult justice system, is to punish the offender and protect the society at large.
Accordingly, adults who are convicted of a crimes are frequently incarcerated. However, when a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent (the equivalent of being found guilty in an adult court), he or she may be incarcerated in a juvenile facility, but only after the judge has considered alternative sentences that may better reform and rehabilitate the juvenile, such as:
- Counseling;
- Substance abuse treatment;
- Restitution, community service; and/or
- Other alternative sentencing options.
That being said, cases involving juveniles who have been charged with committing particularly egregious acts may be prosecuted in the adult court system. When this is the case, the juvenile defendant will be exposed to adult criminal consequences.
Juvenile Criminal Attorney in South Amboy
Juvenile crimes can be very serious and haunt your child and family for yours if they are not handled property by your attorney. It is therefore imperative that you give your son or daughter’s juvenile charge the attention it deserves by finding the very best lawyer you can find. Our juvenile defense lawyers possess formidable credentials and will work aggressively to minimize the consequences of the charges. Call our Woodbridge Office at 732-751-4458 to speak to one of our attorneys in a free, confidential, consultation.
