In most U.S. states, if a person under the age of 18 commits a crime, he or she is tried as a juvenile. (There are some states where the “adult” age is 16 and yet there are some extreme cases where a child under 18 will be tried as an adult.)
While juveniles have special protections:
- Criminal records are sealed
- Criminal records are often expunged when he or she turns 18
- The right to a free public defender if they cannot afford one
- The right to early-release if their act was non-violent
- They don’t go to prison if convicted, rather juvenile detention where they have more attention and special educational courses
They do not all the same constitutional rights as adults.
- Juveniles do not have the right to stand before a jury, only a judge
- Juveniles do not have the right to a public trial
- Juveniles do not have the right to bail
The ultimate goal is not to punish the child, but instead to rehabilitate them so they can be successful in their adult life.
Since juveniles do not post bail, we at Santa Ana Bail Bond Store of course cannot offer a bail bond for your child. Juveniles are actually lucky they don’t have the right to bail – the way they are treated in the legal system is much better anyway.
