One of every parent’s worst fears is getting that phone call in the middle of the night, notifying you that your teen child has been arrested. Unfortunately, there are circumstances in which this is a possibility. Or maybe you have found out that there is an arrest warrant out for your child.

At John Engman & Associates, our defense attorneys will do everything in their power to ensure that your child receives a fair trial and the best possible outcome. Whether your child is tried as a juvenile or an adult, our criminal defense attorneys can help.

What To Do When Your Teen Is Arrested

Don’t Panic

We understand that you may be angry or upset that your child has been arrested. However, staying calm is the best way to think clearly. One of your first calls should be to set up a consultation with one of our criminal defense attorneys.

Call Our Criminal Defense Attorneys

A criminal defense lawyer can help you understand the legal consequences attached to your child’s charge. For example, a teenage drug conviction will affect your child’s future eligibility for federal student aid, jobs, and housing. In other words, juvenile crime will affect your child’s life long past high school.

Being sad or angry at your child won’t help their circumstances as much as picking up the phone to call one of our criminal justice attorneys. No matter what your child has been arrested for, remain calm and call one of our defense lawyers. You can count on our legal expertise to help get your child out of trouble or at least minimize consequences.

Underestimating your child’s juvenile crime can mean the difference between your child being able to come home and spending more time behind bars. Our Grand Rapids attorneys are familiar with the attitudes and legal strategies of local judges and prosecutors, which is to your child’s advantage.

We represent minors for the following types of juvenile crime:

Know Your Child’s Legal Rights

Under the eyes of the law, a juvenile is someone under the age of 17. However, the court is more likely to try your child as an adult if they’re suspected of committing a serious crime like murder or sexual assault. Under Michigan’s Juvenile Waiver Law of 1997, children as young as 11 years old have been tried as adults.

Police don’t need to contact you or get your permission to question your juvenile child. However, they are required to stop questioning if your child requests a parent or lawyer. Similar to when adults are interrogated, your child also has the right to remain silent. A parent or lawyer can instruct their child to remain silent if they feel it would be in their best interest.

Prepare for the Initial Hearing

You’ll most likely get a letter in the mail that’ll tell you when you and your child must appear in family court for the initial hearing. If you haven’t hired a defense attorney by this point, we strongly recommend you do so. A defense lawyer will be able to help your child understand the charges against them, their rights, and what plea to enter. An attorney will also help you as the parent understand the next steps.

At John Engman & Associates, our Grand Rapids, MI defense attorneys have 35 years of experience in handling cases just like this. To schedule a consultation with our criminal defense attorneys, give us a call at 616-426-9576.