Conviction for juvenile crimes do not have to ruin one's life

Juvenile crimes in Wisconsin - how to protect your future

Conviction for a juvenile crime is serious, but it does not have to be the end of the world for you. Wisconsin courts consider extenuating circumstances, including your behavior before and after the crime. This gives you an opportunity to show to the court that you may deserve more lenient sentencing.
Courts in Wisconsin look not only at the type of crime, but also the life of the person who was convicted of committing that crime. This is an attempt to ensure that those who are not likely to cause more problems do not end up trapped by a criminal conviction. This does not mean that everyone who looks like an angel on paper will get a light sentence, but it does mean that the court will carefully consider more than just the one incident.
For example, a 16-year-old girl was responsible for crashing an SUV in 2014. The crash killed two other girls, and while the exact sequence of events leading up to the crash was not clear, what was clear was that the driver was not driving safely at the time of the accident. However, because the girl had cooperated fully with law enforcement and had not been in trouble before, she got off with rather light sentences -- supervision, community service, and an order to either be in school or have a job -- even though she was tried in both juvenile and adult courts.
Compare that to the case of a 15-year-old boy sentenced in 2014 for car theft. He was tried as a juvenile, but ended up with a sentence of a year in a group home because of his extensive record of previous thefts.
If you are facing a trial in juvenile court, contact Eisenberg Law Offices. Talk to our attorneys about showing the court that you are not going to be a continuing problem for authorities. This could help get you a lighter sentence that doesn't derail your life.
This post was originally published at https://www.eisenberglaw.org/conviction-juvenile-crimes-not-ruin-ones-life/