In some states such as Virginia, juvenile crime rates are on a steady decline. Part of this decrease can be attributed to a better understanding of the law and how it pertains to people under the age of majority. Juvenile defense attorneys are looking to continue this tide of change, lessening overall crime rates by educating clients and their families and preventing further criminal activity. Additionally, these legal professionals help current and previous offenders in places like Fairfax county to face lighter sentences and lesser penalties, so they can focus on moving forward with their lives.
Differences in Juvenile Defense
For anyone, facing legal action is stressful and taxing. This is amplified in the case of juveniles under the age of eighteen or twenty-one. Minors and young adults face stricter limitations and harsher punishments for acting outside of those legal limitations. This makes litigation involving juvenile citizens unique.
Legal firms specializing in the legal defense of minors and young adults understand the exceptional circumstances and difficulties faced by juveniles and their families during litigation. Ensuring that the lawyers responsible for the defense of a person under the age of twenty-one know the potential repercussions of breaking the law for these young Americans means being prepared to help minimize them.
Crime Changes Lives – Attorneys Can Help
Any penalty for a crime is going to cause changes in the life of the receiver, whether it’s minor adjustments to their behavior, moderate issues like the revocation of a license or other privileges, or major sentences such as jail time or even the death penalty where applicable. For children, teens and young adults, these punishments can be more than life-changing – they can derail futures.
Juvenile defense attorneys serve their clients by helping parties affected by their actions receive justice while preserving as much of their clients’ futures as possible, up to and including saving their lives from death row. In this way, these legal specialists are responsible for rescuing millions of young people with mistakes on their records from losing their way further, and preventing thousands of deaths and severe sentences yearly.
