Posted on May 30, 2013 in Criminal defense lawyer

Find the article here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cellphone-ban-0530-20130530,0,334411.story

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 Posted on May 13, 2013 in Criminal defense lawyer

Juvenile plea agreements are made between the juvenile defendant and the state’s attorney. In a plea agreement, the juvenile defendant will plead guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence. These agreements must be approved by a judge, after which a hearing date will be set.

Trials will only occur for the following reasons:

• the youth chooses not to plead guilty,
• the youth does not agree to the plea agreement,
• the youth was not separated from the system,
• or the prosecutor did not dismiss all of the charges filed against the child.

Because juveniles do not have the constitutional right to a jury trial, juvenile trials are bench trials. Law states that these trials must occur within 120 days of the child’s demand for a trial, although in some instances this date can be held off for an additional 30 days. However, in the cases of violent juvenile offenders, habitual juvenile offenders, and extended juvenile jurisdiction prosecution, the juveniles do have the right to a trial with a jury.

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