Princeton Juvenile Crime Defense Lawyers
Clear Juvenile Criminal Record
A young person’s future should not hinge on an impetuous, youthful indiscretion. Juvenile crimes often stem from peer pressure, and the consequences of these actions are rarely considered by the youth committing them. A New Jersey juvenile offense, however, does not have to ruin a bright future, and should not weigh down the potential of any young person.
After community service, counseling, and all other forms of punishment for a juvenile crime are completed, an offender has often learned his or her lesson, and simply wants to enter adulthood with a clean slate, becoming a valued contributing member to our society. In order to achieve this, it is often a good idea to request that New Jersey juvenile records are sealed by a judge, to ensure that a past careless act does not negatively impact the juvenile offender’s future.
Sealing a juvenile record in New Jersey means that the record and the details surrounding a juvenile crime are closed. Essentially, it’s as if the juvenile offense never happened in the first place. Law enforcement and other agencies cannot divulge information regarding incidents that are part of a sealed juvenile record. In fact, once a juvenile record is sealed, a juvenile offender has the legal right to say that the act never even occurred in the first place. Consequently, sealing juvenile records may allow a juvenile offender to more easily secure employment, as the incident will not be discovered in the event that the hiring company does a background check. Ultimately, sealing records will provide a juvenile offender with a fresh start.
If a youth is found guilty of some sort of infraction in an adult criminal court, then a juvenile’s record cannot be sealed. For all other instances, an experienced New Jersey juvenile defense attorney should certainly be consulted to ensure that a young person’s rights are not trampled upon by juvenile court system. At Lependorf & Silverstein, our juvenile crime defense attorneys will present your case before the court, arguing on your behalf that rehabilitation has been attained. If you are seeking to have your juvenile record sealed in New Jersey, please don’t hesitate to contact our defense attorneys for a free consultation of your case.
If you or a loved one has been accused of a juvenile crime in New Jersey, contact Lependorf & Silverstein today for a free consultation.