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…
Continue reading ›Articles Posted in juvenile defense
A 602 petition is the formal charging document in California juvenile delinquency proceedings. Filed by the district attorney under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 602, it asks the juvenile court to declare a minor a ward of the court based on allegations that the child violated state or federal law. The petition applies to minors…
Continue reading ›A juvenile case in Orange County can still move forward even if the victim refuses to cooperate with the prosecution. The district attorney can rely on police reports, physical evidence, witness statements, and other documentation to sustain the petition under WIC 602. Parents who assume a case will be dropped because the victim does not…
Continue reading ›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 ›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 ›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…
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