When Kids Get Arrested: What Every Adult Should Know

Top Ten Tips

XIII If you only have five minutes. . . . TOP TEN TIPS: WHAT EVERY ADULT SHOULD KNOW TO PROTECT A CHILD FROM THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM 1. Don’t ever allow the police to question a child without a lawyer present. 2. Don’t ever encourage a child to waive the right to a lawyer. 3. Juvenile records count: they do not disappear when a child turns eighteen. 4. Make sure you understand how the juvenile court deal will follow the child into the future. There are many long-term hidden consequences of juvenile court involvement. (See chapter 7.) 5. Children who get probation have not “beaten” the case. Assist your child in completing all the terms of probation as quickly as possible. And make sure you pay off all the restitution. 6. Be really worried if: a. The child is being sent to adult court—adult prison is not good for children. b. The child is charged with any type of sexual offense—a child labeled a sexual offender may be subject to lifetime registration and civil commitment. 7. Stay in touch with children who are sent to a residential placement and ask questions to make sure they are safe. 8. Race matters: minority children are treated more harshly at every stage of the juvenile court process. 9. Avoid the juvenile justice system if you can—it has become much more punitive since the mid-1990s and is rarely a good solution to school problems, mental health issues, or a defiant daughter. 10. Talk to your child(ren) in advance about what to do in case they are stopped by police. Have your child(ren) carry a copy of the “nonwaiver of rights” form (page 18) for additional protection. WHEN KIDS GET ARRESTED ...