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Unfortunately, many young men and women find themselves thrust into the juvenile justice system annually in the greater Tampa Bay area. As we discussed elsewhere on our Tampa Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorney blog, the sanctions for juvenile sanctions are far more severe than many people imagine. Many teenagers just assume, they will just get a quick slap on the wrist, nothing is further from the truth.
It is also worth nothing, though that many State Attorneys throughout the Tampa Bay area are extremely aggressive in the direct file of juveniles as adults. By way of background, the phrase “direct file” occurs when a juvenile under the age of 18 is charged as an adult in the adult criminal justice system. Unfortunately, this is a growing trend in the Tampa Bay area, especially Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The State Attorney in Polk County has always been aggressive with this; it’s always been common in Pinellas County.
Our Tampa Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorneys will assist you in ensuring that your juvenile son or daughter is properly advised and aggressively represented throughout their juvenile case. The handling of a juvenile criminal matter is totally different than an adult criminal matter because of the different sanctions, parties, procedural issues, etc. Our Tampa Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorneys have the experience you and your children need.
By far the easiest example to identify is that in the juvenile justice system, the individual doesn’t have a right to a jury trial. All the trials are bench trials. This is clearly a distinction from what we think of the American criminal justice system. This is just one of many common distinctions and identifies why it’s important to have an attorney that’s experienced in the handling of juvenile crimes, as opposed to just an adult criminal defense attorney.
If you or someone you know has questions concerning the juvenile criminal justice system and needs answers, contact the Tampa Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorneys of Hackworth Law for a free consultation. We’ve handled thousands of criminal cases throughout the entire Tampa Bay area and have the experience and aggressive approach required to protect you and your children’s’ rights in their criminal cases. If you’d like to contact one of our attorneys immediately, you have many options. First, you can always call our office. We have operators standing by 24 hours a day to answer your calls and questions, and we connect you with a Tampa attorney immediately. The number is 813-280-2911. Secondly, you can use the “contact us now” tab in the upper right-hand corner of our web site. Lastly, you can use the free secure chat box in the lower right hand corner of our web site. One of our attorneys is always answering these questions. Unlike many other firms, you won’t be speaking to an intake, paralegal, or a secretary or assistant. You will be speaking to an attorney, who can answer your legal questions and provide you legal representation immediately. We appreciate you taking the time to check out our blog and look forward to working with you in the future.