Juvenile Crimes Attorney in Salt Lake City, UT

Juvenile Crimes Overview

Utah Criminal Defense: Juvenile Crimes

Utah’s juvenile justice system differs from the state’s criminal justice system for adults in many important ways. One of the most important of these differences is the juvenile justice system’s emphasis on rehabilitation instead of punishment.

In real terms, the focus on rehabilitation means the state’s primary goal will usually be to deter a child from getting in legal trouble again, often by giving that child the support needed to engage in more positive activities. What it doesn’t necessarily mean, however, is that a child won’t experience significant negative consequences in their adult life if they admit or plead guilty to the charges they are facing now.

I’m Catherine Cleveland, a Salt Lake City juvenile crimes defense attorney with more than a decade of experience defending young clients who’ve become entangled in Utah’s juvenile justice system. Armed with thorough understanding of our state’s juvenile laws, court rules and procedures, as well as working relationships with juvenile court prosecutors and judges, I have been able to successfully help many young clients minimize and avoid both current and future consequences.

I provide defense representation for juvenile crimes and cases of every type, including:

• Status offenses (offenses that would not be crimes if committed by an adult, including underage drinking, smoking, truancy and curfew violations)
• Juvenile criminal offenses (offenses that would also be crimes if committed by an adult, including juvenile sex crimes, theft and property crimes, drug crimes and possession of fake or altered identification)
• Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) cases (certain types of juvenile crimes will get Utah’s DCFS involved, which can lead to the removal of children from their parents’ homes)

Juvenile Sex Crimes

I have represented a number of children and young adults who have been accused of sex crimes against other children. These crimes often include sexting, solicitation of a minor over the Internet or committing sexual acts with a minor. While I will spare no amount of effort or resource to vigorously defend a client who has been falsely accused, I know from experience that kids will lie to their parents and that many such allegations are not groundless.

Kids usually come clean with me. If that happens, I can usually get my juvenile clients and young adults sentenced to probation instead of jail, provided they are willing to admit what they’ve done. Probation in these cases typically lasts a year and will likely involve seeing a counselor to learn appropriate behavior. I stay in close contact with parents during this time, monitor kids to make sure they comply with their probation terms and represent clients in probation review hearings.

Lastly, I am also sensitive to the enormous amount of stress and emotional turmoil involved here. In many cases involving juvenile sex crimes or other serious criminal offenses, suicide is a real concern. I encourage and help parents put safety plans in place to prevent juveniles and young adults from compounding earlier mistakes with tragic ones.

Contact Me in Salt Lake City for Effective Juvenile Crimes Defense

Talk to me about your child’s case or about any juvenile crimes that you’ve been charged with yourself. All consultations are confidential. To make an appointment, call my Salt Lake City law firm offices at 801-386-8096 or toll free at 877-753-1247. You can also contact me online.

Catherine Cleveland, P.C. is a Salt Lake City law firm providing criminal defense representation to clients throughout Utah and in both state and federal court cases.

Other Frequent Case Types

• Drug Trafficking Defense in Salt Lake City, UT
• Sex Crimes in Salt Lake City, UT

Areas of Practice

• Juvenile Crimes
• Criminal Law