THE CLIMATE IS CHANGING FOR JUVENILES CHARGED WITH A CRIME…

While adults have long known that children demonstrate a lack of maturity and underdeveloped sense of responsibility, leading to recklessness, impulsivity and heedless risk-taking, there is now scientific evidence that is recognized and accepted as true by the courts of this country: “Our decisions rest[] not only on common sense – on what ‘any parent knows’ – but on science and social science as well.” Miller v. Alabama, 132 S.Ct. 2455, 2464 (2012), quoting Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551, 569 (2005); see also Diatchenko v. District Attorney for the Suffolk District, 466 Mass. 655, 669 n.14 (2013).

In short, before you assume your child will likely be found delinquent of a crime, you should consult with an experienced juvenile criminal defense attorney about the changing climate of juvenile criminal law.