If your child pleads guilty or is found guilty, the judge will go on to the dispositional phase of the delinquency to determine what should be done for your child. At the disposition hearing the court is required to consider a report prepared by DCF which contains information on your child and his or her background.
The court is required to discuss the offense with your child and give everyone present, including the victim, you, your child, your child’s attorney, the prosecutor, the arresting officer, and representatives of DCF and your school system an opportunity to comment on the offense and an appropriate disposition.
Many times a child is placed on probation, called community control, with specific conditions the child must obey. For children charged with serious offenses or who have a record of serious offenses, commitment to DCF may be ordered. The child is then placed in the custody of DCF. Commitment may be to a program in which your child still remains at home, or to a program in which your child is temporarily removed and placed in a residential facility.
A finding of guilt in a juvenile proceeding can later be used by the court in sentencing in adult court for subsequent criminal convictions under certain circumstances.
Hopefully, you have found appropriate legal representation well before this stage. Brandon Legal Group encourages you, when dealing with juvenile criminal offences, to seek legal counsel. Your first consultation with the criminal attorneys at Brandon Legal Group is always free. Call now.
