As someone who is facing the prospect of your child being charged with a crime, it can be an incredibly difficult and confusing time. The thought of your child being considered an adult in the eyes of the law is a daunting one, with potential serious consequences. Understanding when children can be charged as adults…
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A threat against a school became its own crime in California on January 1, 2026. The statute reaches threats of death or great bodily injury at schools, daycares, universities, workplaces and other locations, and no particular victim has to be named. For anyone under 18, it also requires a referral to services first where the minor qualifies.
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A juvenile adjudication in California is not a criminal conviction for immigration purposes, and a plea in delinquency court is not treated as an admission. That protection is real and narrower than most families assume, because some grounds of inadmissibility require no conviction at all. Keeping the case in juvenile court is usually the decision that matters most.
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A juvenile drug or alcohol case in California can cost a teenager a full year of driving privileges, and no vehicle has to be involved. Here is which offenses reach the license, what happens when a teen has no license yet, and how a critical need to drive restriction works.
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The words low, moderate or high risk in a probation report are not a verdict. A probation officer scores the assessment, and the number shapes a recommendation rather than the court’s decision. Here is what gets scored, where it matters, and how the inputs can be challenged.
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A juvenile adjudication is not a criminal conviction, but for firearms it can carry a prohibition lasting until age 30. AB 383 took effect in January 2026 and added relinquishment deadlines and enforcement. Here is what that means for a case still open and for firearms already in the home.
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Police can use a teenager’s cell phone location data in California, but how it was obtained decides which rules applied. Here are the three routes investigators use, what the geofence warrant ruling changed, and why location records alone do not prove your teen was there.
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Sealing directs government agencies to treat a case as if it never happened, but private background check companies don’t always refresh their databases. Here’s how a sealed case can still surface.
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A chatbot log existing on a server isn’t the same as a court allowing it as evidence. Here’s what has to happen before AI chat messages can be used against your teen.
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A subpoena can reach basic account records, but the content of your teen’s messages and device data generally requires a warrant. Here’s the difference.
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