It is every parent's nightmare to have their child get into trouble in school or with the law. Unfortunately, when a child gets into trouble, many times there are both school administrative proceedings and juvenile court proceedings to deal with in these situations. With respect to the school proceedings, your child may be facing expulsion. And, in juvenile court proceedings your child is actually being charged with a single or multiple criminal offenses. The juvenile court can impose a wide variety of remedies in cases where they believe that your child has committed a violation of a criminal statute, including but not limited to, removing your child from your home and placing him or her in a juvenile detention facility for an extended period of time. So it is imperative that your child have experienced legal representation.
Attorney Darlene Wright Powell has experience representing children in juvenile court proceedings and in school administrative proceedings arising out of infractions and violations of school policies and/or criminal laws. She handles public school expulsion hearings in Prince George's County, Maryland and juvenile court proceedings throughout suburban Maryland.
With respect to juvenile proceedings, it is important to seek legal advice early on, even if your child has not been formally charged yet. In some cases, an informal meeting may be held by juvenile system representatives whom are trying to decide whether to request that your child be formally prosecuted. Attorney Darlene Wright Powell represents clients at this stage and will help to put together strong arguments as to why formal charges should not be instituted.
Often children will get in trouble for doing irresponsible things not realizing the possible long-term implications of their actions. Attorney Darlene Wright Powell understands this and works with the family when there are school and/or administrative proceedings to deal with on the child's behalf. Specifically, she handles public school expulsion hearings where a young person is being charged with infractions of school rules and regulations. The goal in these situations is to try to prevent an expulsion from school and to try to keep the school record as clean as possible under the circumstances.
In some cases where a school feels that a violation of school rules and regulations also constitutes a criminal act, the school will call the police. In this situation, if your son or daughter is ever arrested, he or she should not make any verbal or written statements to the police. Often the police will indicate that they are just trying to help; however, at the stage when an arrest occurs (and sometimes prior to the arrest) your child's verbal or written statements may be used against them later in court. If the police want to know anything beyond your child's name and address and routine processing questions, it is advisable for them to indicate that they do not wish to make any statement and that they wish to consult with an attorney. A juvenile of course, should indicate that he or she also needs to speak with his or her parents.
Don't delay call today for advice. Consultations are available during regular office hours which are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and on evenings and weekends by appointment. CALL 301-464-6260 TODAY FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION LEGAL CONSULTATION.
