California closed its state-run Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) under Senate Bill 823, shifting responsibility for serious juvenile offenders to county-level programs and extending the maximum age of juvenile court jurisdiction. For families in Orange County, this means teens adjudicated for serious offenses now remain in local facilities, including the Orange County Probation Department’s Juvenile…
Continue reading ›Orange County Juvenile Defense Blog
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A plea agreement in California juvenile court is not the same as pleading guilty in adult court. When a minor accepts a plea in juvenile proceedings, the child admits to the petition filed under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 602, and the court sustains the charges rather than entering a conviction. The Law Office of…
Continue reading ›If a family moves out of Orange County while a child has an open juvenile case, the case does not go away. Under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 750, the juvenile court in Orange County can transfer jurisdiction to the county where the family relocates. The Law Office of Katie Walsh handles juvenile criminal defense…
Continue reading ›When both the accused and the alleged victim in a juvenile case are minors, the court must balance two sets of protections at the same time. At the Law Office of Katie Walsh, our Orange County juvenile defense attorney has handled cases where teenagers on both sides of the allegation are classmates, teammates, or members…
Continue reading ›California’s juvenile court system is built around confidentiality, and the courtroom is not open to the public the way adult criminal court is. But parents and guardians have specific rights to attend and participate in their child’s hearings. At the Law Office of Katie Walsh, our Orange County juvenile defense attorney works closely with parents…
Continue reading ›A juvenile protective order is a court order that restricts a minor’s contact with a specific person, and violating it can result in serious consequences even if the original offense was relatively minor. At the Law Office of Katie Walsh, our Orange County juvenile defense attorney has represented teens who violated protective orders, sometimes without…
Continue reading ›Wardship and non-wardship probation are two very different outcomes in California’s juvenile court system, and the distinction between them can shape your child’s future for years. At the Law Office of Katie Walsh, our Orange County juvenile defense attorney helps parents understand these two paths so they can advocate for the outcome that best protects…
Continue reading ›A juvenile firearm possession allegation can move quickly and trigger immediate consequences at school and in court. Even when a teen insists the firearm was not theirs or did not know it was present, the system may still treat the situation as possession and move forward aggressively. If you are searching for an Orange County…
Continue reading ›A school drug testing issue can become more than a campus problem when a disputed test or questionable search leads to suspension, an expulsion hearing, or a referral to law enforcement. Parents in Orange County often feel pressure to respond immediately while still trying to figure out what the school relied on and what rights…
Continue reading ›Status offenses catch many families off guard because the behavior is treated as unlawful only due to a child’s age. A parent may think the issue is attendance, curfew, or conflict at home, and then a juvenile referral appears with deadlines and consequences. If you are looking for an Orange County juvenile attorney, the Law…
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