Juveniles are defined as people under the age of majority (18). Juveniles are required to be in the custody of someone at all times, i.e. parent, school, etc. The process and procedures for juveniles differ vastly than those of the adult legal system. In the Tennessee Juvenile Court, the goal is rehabilitation as opposed to punishment. Juveniles may be transferred to adult criminal court for certain offenses under certain circumstances.

If your child is arrested for a juvenile crime, you want to be sure that your child does not get tagged with a criminal conviction that could follow him/her around for the rest of their lives. There are alternatives when your child is arrested for a criminal offense.

Teenagers – and even younger children – often are not aware that even what seems like a harmless passing along of a threat or ill-spoken words about teachers or others can result in arrest. Child pornography, known as sexting, is also rampant in today’s society.

As witness many nationally broadcast cases, juveniles have been arrested for threatening to kill the teacher a social network. There also have been cyber-bullying cases in which people have lost their lives for actions that one youngster at a keyboard does not think is “that harmful.” In fact it is “that harmful” and can result in a felony arrest.

In the worst of cases, juvenile offenders can be charged as adults and go through adult criminal proceedings.

Rivers Legal Services knows that most juvenile cases are decided by a judge only and not a jury trial. Our attorneys understand the nuances of the Tennessee Juvenile Court System and how to advise parents on the best way to defend their children.