Protecting your children’s rights when the authorities suspect they have participated in juvenile crimes begins during questioning. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the frontal lobes of a human being are the last areas of the brain to reach full maturity. As a result, youths are at risk of providing the authorities with a false confession when questioned under duress.
In addition to practicing law, our attorneys are parents who feel that protecting our children is the most important thing in the world. While we have the advantage of education, training and experience in defending those accused of juvenile crimes, we know that most of you do not. As such, a large part of our mission is providing advocacy when children in Massachusetts enter the juvenile justice system.
We want our neighbors in the Franklin region to know that formally questioning juveniles requires a different approach than when questioning adults. For example, when the authorities interrogate adults in an informal setting, they typically do not need to read the suspects their Miranda rights. By contrast, police officers should make it a habit to read juvenile suspects their rights even when the questioning is informal.
We know that these are frightening and confusing concepts for parents whose only interest is the health and wellbeing of their kids. This is why we urge parents to speak with an attorney when their children face allegations of involvement in juvenile crimes.
A lawyer can ensure that the authorities did not violate a youth’s rights during questioning. Having an advocate in place will also benefit your child if the police arrest him or her for participating in juvenile crimes. Feel free to continue exploring our website for further information.
