Dealing with kids’ criminal charges can be an extremely complicated and trying experience. Time in prison can cause severe psychological, behavioral, and developmental damage to kids. For this reason, communities must do all that is possible to keep kids out of prison after criminal charges. Here are a few steps that you can take to help kids avoid prison time.
Take a Plea Deal
One option that you can take to keep kids out of prison after criminal charges is to take a plea deal or plea bargain. A plea deal occurs when the prosecuting team and defense team strike up a deal that allows the accused to have a lesser charge that isn’t as harsh. This can be particularly beneficial if the kid on trial has been tried as an adult and accused with overly harsh charges. Make sure to work with the law teams to find out how a plea deal could help your situation.
Send Them to an Intervention Program
If you’re trying to avoid prison time for a kid who has received criminal charges, try sending them to an intervention program. There are lots of great intervention programs that can help to provide behavioral and emotional improvement for troubled kids and teens. These programs have many unique settings that will help them to develop important skills and recover from risky behaviors and experiences. Stable and caring adults can help keep teens on the right path.
Community Service
Another way to keep kids out of prison after having criminal charges is to help them to receive penalties that aren’t inappropriately harsh. Doing a certain amount of time of community service is a good example of such a penalty. Many Teen Court programs have been working to keep kids from being prosecuted and imprisoned as adults by having them face a jury of their peers. This helps kids to receive fair penalties rather than overly harsh penalties that are usually meant for adults. Community service could be a great alternative to time in prison.
So, if you know a kid who has criminal charges and who is at risk of prison time, don’t give up that easily. Remember that you can help them take a plea deal, send them to an intervention program, or provide them with community service that will keep them out of prison. These alternative options can make a significant difference in the life of a troubled kid or teen.
Check out this article on how to successfully win a criminal court case!