Last week, we discussed one type of offense that juveniles might have in the juvenile court system. Besides the status offenses that we discussed in that blog post, some children will also face criminal charges in the juvenile justice system in Virginia. A recent story out of Suffolk shows how serious some of these juvenile charges might be.
Residents of the Harbour View area have had a string of thefts and vehicle break-ins. A recent arrest of a juvenile is being tied to those thefts and break-ins. The arrest came after authorities were contacted about three juveniles running across Harbour View Boulevard at 3:30 in the morning.
Only one of the three juveniles was taken into custody. That boy was brought to the Tidewater Detention Home. The other two boys were interviewed by police. Police found a backpack when they caught up with the boys. Inside the backpack were items that were considered suspicious because they were consistent with items reported stolen by residents. Those items included jewelry, CDs, electronics and money.
It is important for the boy who was taken into custody in this case understand his charges. His parents should also understand what the boy is being charged with. No parent wants to see their child in a detention center, so these parents will have to fight for their child.
Any child who has to deal with the juvenile justice system should know that the system is meant to help them overcome the obstacles that got them in trouble. Instead of focusing only on punishment, the juvenile justice system focuses on teaching and rehabilitating children by using services and other programs. Knowing about these might help you as you move through the juvenile justice system with your child.
Source: WAVY, “Juvenile arrested for Suffolk car break-ins” Nicole Livas, Feb. 13, 2015
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