Individuals under 18 are considered minors in most states in the United States. Despite the seriousness of many minor crimes, juvenile crime is still treated differently than adult crimes. One major difference is the juvenile law system views minors as children,...
Juvenile Crimes
Teenager arrested for violent assault with baseball bat
Whether an offender is a juvenile or an adult, law enforcers in New Jersey take violent crime seriously. While prosecutors take violent crimes seriously regardless of an offender's age, when an offender has not yet reached the age of majority, they are subject to the...
Outreach project warns about effects of underage drinking
Laws restricting access to alcohol among minors were first enacted in the 20th century. Initially these laws varied dramatically from state to state. In 1984, however, Congress enacted the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, prohibiting persons under 21 from purchasing...
Juvenile offenders subjected to solitary confinement
Like their adult counterparts, teenagers can make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes can cross the line into criminal behavior. From age-based offenses like underage drinking and curfew violations, to criminal offenses including drug charges and domestic violence,...
Juvenile justice and the need for an experienced defense attorney
Like most professionals, attorneys tend to focus their attention on particular areas of the law. This focus allows the attorney to become highly experienced and skilled in a particular field and therefore better serve their clients.. Experience is critical in a legal...
Juvenile crimes come with their own consequences
In the United States individuals who have not yet reached the age of majority are generally viewed as juveniles in the eyes of the criminal justice system. The juvenile law system is very different than the adult criminal justice system, and it requires specific...
Keeping kids out of jail may help reduce juvenile crime
Juvenile justice is based in part on the belief that juvenile offenders, more so than adults, are redeemable. The origins of juvenile law in the U.S. can be traced back to the mid-1800s, when lawmakers began to worry that institutionalizing children with adults was...
Criminal record expunged after 18 years
Crimes committed as a juvenile can often haunt a person for many years. While most juvenile criminal records are sealed once the offender becomes an adult, in some cases, a juvenile crime record can continue to cause problems for former offenders. New Jersey residents...
Police suspect group of juveniles of violent crimes
When juveniles are involved in violent crimes, long-term consequences can impact their future. In some cases, juvenile law procedures in an area may allow authorities to charge suspects as adults, which can create even more dire consequences if individuals are...
Teenagers may be tried as adults in New Jersey murder case
Juvenile law cases often involve different legal strategies from adult criminal cases. It is important for those accused, as well as their families, to fully understand the charges brought against them and all of their legal options.If the prosecutors involved in one...
Hackensack police officer works to prevent juvenile crime
In an effort to minimize the number of juvenile crimes that take place in the Hackensack school district, a school police officer called a "school resource officer," was hired 24 years ago to patrol the halls of the Hackensack school system. Now that officer is...
New Jersey anti-bullying law did not prevent recent incidents
September marked the implementation of New Jersey's new anti-bullying law, considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation. The law was enacted as a response to the 2010 suicide of a gay Rutgers University student who was spied on by his roommate...
Rules for trying juveniles as adults debated by legislators
In New Jersey, anyone age 17 or younger is considered a juvenile. Defendants age 16 and older who have been accused of juvenile crimes including homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, or other violent crimes, can be transferred to adult court. Who is responsible...
Police patrol schools, hand out misdemeanors
New Jersey students may do well to behave. Hundreds of schools in one Southern state use police to keep order. And there's no reason to suspect the trend won't spread across the nation. Juveniles absent from class or with an excess number of late arrivals can be...