Category: Juvenile Crimes
After the passing of California’s Proposition 47, persons convicted of some types of nonviolent property and drug crimes were able to have the charges reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. With this reclassification, criminal defense lawyers had the ability to petition on behalf of their client for shorter jail sentences and lowered fines. Due to the terminology of Proposition 47, a District Attorney in California’s second-most populated county argued that the reclassification would not apply to juvenile felonies. The DA stated that the terminology present in Proposition 47 was not used in cases brought against a minor and, therefore, only applied to… Read More
In 2000, California passed Proposition 21, which was an initiative aimed at increasing penalties for juveniles who committed crimes. It also meant juveniles would be put into the adult criminal justice system. The initiative was intended to curb what some thought would be a large group of criminal kids considered “superpredators.” Youths would be tried as adults and sentenced to hard time under the proposition. In 1997, juvenile arrests peaked and have been falling ever since. In fact, arrests of juveniles dropped 48 percent by 2011, according to the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The problem… Read More
CNN reports that a bill that is headed for a vote here in California has re-started conversation about whether or not life sentences given to juveniles should be re-analyzed. Senate Bill 9, which would give certain juvenile offenders the chance for release, is headed soon to the Assembly floor for a vote. Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) introduced the legislation, which would permit juveniles to request a court to re-analyze their sentence after they have already served 15 years in prison for their alleged crime. Yee, a former child psychologist, has argued that juveniles do not possess the capability to… Read More
Adolescents are very impressionable. Unfortunately, the media realizes this very notion, yet fails to monitor materials that profess concepts that may be misconstrued by some young minds. According to the Los Angeles Times, one such incident in Calabasas was emblematic of this very idea. Reportedly, middle school students acted upon a request sent out via a Facebook message. The message declared that it was “Kick a Ginger Day” (with “Ginger” being a term in reference to those individuals with red hair, freckles, and fair skin). The concept was proliferated by the animated, adult-humored television comedy “South Park.” While the TV… Read More
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Lawrence Wolf, Esq. will be a special guest for the second time on Los Angeles radio station KRLA 870AM this Saturday, June 13 2009 at midnight. Lawrence Wolf will be a part of the show “Uncuff Me” sharing his vast knowledge and experience of criminal law to discuss topics relating to adolescence, tough love, and drug addiction. With over 30 years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer in California, Lawrence Wolf and his associates have worked to develop alternative forms of sentencing such as divisionary programs and house arrest. He is recognized for his… Read More
A recent article reported on February 10, 2009 that two juveniles were arrested in connection with an outbreak of robberies in the last month. Echo Park and Silver Lake were the locations of these street robberies. According to police reports, the suspects would approach males walking by themselves between the hours of midnight and 3 am. Police reports show that a search warrant was done on one of the suspect’s house and many stolen items were recovered including iPods, mobile phones, and guns and knives used in the Los Angeles robberies. Due to the suspects being juveniles, their identity will… Read More
A student from Thousand Oaks has been arrested on making death threats to fellow students and one of his teachers at Carpinteria High School, the Ventura County Star reports. The freshman student, who reportedly transferred to Carpinteria from another school district, told officials that he was tired of being picked on by students and the teacher. Authorities took him into custody because they believed the threat was credible. However, they did not find any weapons or firearms after searching the student’s home. A juvenile crime accusation is tough for families to take. When your son or daughter has been accused… Read More
When is A Juvenile Tried as an Adult? If a minor is over 16 years old at the time of the commission of an offense, the Juvenile Court may have a hearing to decide if the minor should be prosecuted in juvenile court or adult court. In court, these five criteria determine if the juvenile will be found “unfit”: The minor’s sophistication. The period necessary for rehabilitation of the minor. The previous delinquent history of the minor. The prior attempted rehabilitative efforts made. The seriousness of the criminal offense.
