Detroit Juvenile Sex Crime Lawyer

Detroit Juvenile Sex Crime Lawyers

If your child is facing sex crime charges in Michigan, get the legal advocacy they need to protect their rights and future. Contact Kirsch Daskas Law Group PLLC today for a free initial case evaluation with a knowledgeable juvenile crimes defense attorney in Michigan. We are standing ready to discuss your child’s options and to safeguard their rights at this critical moment.

Why Turn to a Criminal Defense Attorney from Kirsch Daskas Law Group PLLC to Help Your Son or Daughter?

A prosecution for a sex crime can have devastating consequences for your son’s or daughter’s future. Your family’s choice of legal representation can make a big difference in the outcome of your child’s case. Choose the legal team at Kirsch Daskas Law Group PLLC to advocate for your son’s or daughter’s rights and interests because:

• Our firm has over two decades of experience in criminal defense law. Our legal team has in-depth insight into how prosecutors pursue criminal cases, as managing partner Lisa Kirsch previously served in the Wayne County
• Prosecutor’s Office. Today, she uses her knowledge and background to prepare effective legal strategies for our clients.
• Our client-centered approach to legal representation means we involve your family in the defense process. We take a holistic approach to pursuing solutions tailored to your child’s unique circumstances and needs.
• We work hard to protect our clients as they face the juvenile or criminal justice system. Our attorneys will stand by your family’s side, so you don’t have to go through the process alone.

Common Juvenile Sex Crimes

At Kirsch Daskas Law Group, PLLC, our sex crimes defense attorneys can help juveniles accused of sex crimes pursue favorable resolutions that protect their futures. Contact our firm when the police have arrested your child for sex offenses such as:

• Criminal sexual conduct: Also called rape, criminal sexual conduct involves engaging in sexual penetration or contact with a minor under the age of consent, an incapacitated person, or a non-consenting adult. A juvenile may commit criminal sexual conduct through the use of force, coercion, or the threat of force, violence, or retaliation against the victim or another person.

• Assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct: A juvenile commits a crime if they assault another individual with the intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, even if they do not accomplish sexual penetration or contact.

• Indecent exposure: A juvenile may commit the offense of indecent exposure if they openly and indecently expose their genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or breasts or fondle their pubic area, genitals, buttocks, or breasts.

• Gross indecency: Gross indecency occurs when two or more individuals engage in sexual activity in public or in private in the presence of other people when such activity could offend others.

Understanding the Juvenile Justice System in Michigan

Juveniles accused of committing sex crimes may face prosecution in the juvenile justice system, which differs from the traditional adult criminal justice system. Whereas the adult criminal justice system focuses on punishment and protecting the public from offenders, the juvenile justice system should focus on rehabilitation and helping juveniles avoid continued criminal behavior as they enter adulthood. As a result, the juvenile justice system has different procedures and sentencing options than the adult criminal justice system.

When the police arrest a juvenile on suspicion of a sex crime, they may take them to the police station to complete booking. The officer must immediately attempt to notify the juvenile’s parents or guardian. Depending on the severity of the crime, the police may either release a juvenile to their parent’s/guardian’s custody or transfer the juvenile to a juvenile detention facility until their preliminary hearing.

During the preliminary hearing, a trial court will review the case and either dismiss it, refer the juvenile to counseling, place the case on a “consent calendar” involving informal court supervision that can give the juvenile a chance to resolve their charges without an adjudication of delinquency or criminal record, or place the case on the “formal calendar” to allow the charges to move forward.

When the court places a case on the formal calendar, a juvenile has many of the same rights as an adult in the traditional criminal justice system. These include the right to legal counsel and a trial where the prosecution must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. At trial, the juvenile and their counsel may present evidence and witness testimony and cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses.

A juvenile found guilty of committing an offense or who pleads guilty will receive a “disposition,” the juvenile equivalent of a sentence in adult criminal court. The court will gather information and hear arguments from the prosecution and defense to determine the appropriate disposition based on the juvenile’s circumstances, needs, and the nature of their offense.

Prosecutors can move to waive a juvenile 14 or older to adult criminal court for prosecution as an adult when the juvenile has committed a felony offense, and the trial court finds probable cause to believe the juvenile committed the offense. The court also must determine whether waiver would serve the juvenile’s and the public’s best interests, considering factors such as:

• The seriousness of the charged offense
• The juvenile’s culpability
• The juvenile’s prior record of delinquency
• The adequacy of programming available in the juvenile justice system
• The juvenile’s developmental maturity and emotional/mental health
• The effect of the alleged crime on the victim

Potential Consequences of a Sex Crime for Juveniles

In the juvenile justice system, a disposition can include various requirements and restrictions designed to rehabilitate a juvenile, such as:

• Probation at home with parents, guardians, or other responsible adult relatives, which may or may not include electronic monitoring
• Participation in counseling services or educational classes
• Community service
• Restitution, which compensates victims for financial losses they sustain due to the juvenile’s crime
• A term of detention at a juvenile facility
• Placement in foster care, subject to the court’s jurisdiction
• Referral to a public or private institution that provides treatment and rehabilitation to juvenile offenders
• The requirement to pay a crime victim rights fee or reimburse court costs

When the court waives a juvenile to adult criminal court for a sex offense, the juvenile will potentially face a criminal sentence like an adult would, which may include jail or prison time and fines.

Juvenile sex offenders may also have to register as sex offenders, which requires them to report to law enforcement periodically.

Finally, a conviction for a sex offense can have long-lasting consequences for a juvenile due to the stigma of a criminal conviction, which can make it challenging for a juvenile to pursue employment or educational opportunities.

Due to the considerable consequences of a conviction for a sex offense that a juvenile may face, hiring experienced legal representation may prove critical to protecting your child’s rights, reputation, and future after an arrest.

What Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Do for Your Child’s Case?

An experienced defense lawyer can help your family defend your son’s or daughter’s rights and future after an arrest for a sex offense. Our legal team will help your family seek a favorable resolution by:

• Thoroughly investigating your child’s case to obtain all available evidence
• Evaluating your child’s legal options and developing a strategy to suit the facts at hand
• Vigorously contesting the prosecution’s case, including moving to exclude inadmissible evidence or evidence that investigators obtained in an unlawful search or interrogation
• Fighting as hard as needed to secure the best possible outcome, even if that means going to trial to advocate your child’s innocence or challenge the prosecution’s case

Contact Us Today to Get Help Protecting Your Child’s Rights and Future

If your child is facing sex crime charges in Michigan, your family needs experienced legal representation to protect them from the harshest consequences of an arrest or adjudication/conviction. Contact Kirsch Daskas Law Group PLLC today for a free, confidential consultation with a Michigan criminal defense lawyer to learn how our firm will fight for your child’s reputation, freedom, and future.