Kansas Governor Sam Brownback recently signed a new juvenile crime reform bill to help transform the way low-level minor criminals are treated by the state’s criminal justice system. Reformers call the bill the crown jewel in this year’s legislative session, which could actually end up saving Kansas tens of millions of dollars over the next several years, money that could be reinvested in community programs.

What does the bill do?

The law, Senate Bill 367, aims to shift the focus from incarcerating young offenders to placing them in treatment programs to help reform and prepare them for life’s challenges. The bill had overwhelming support in the Kansas House and passed unanimously in the Senate.

The community-based treatment programs would have a special focus on drug and alcohol rehabilitation, an all-too-common symptom associated with juvenile crime. Experts assert that probation and rehabilitation is vastly more cost effective than spending up to $90,000 per year to keep kids locked up behind bars.

Furthermore, studies have shown incarceration does little to reform or reduce recidivism amongst juvenile offenders. Lawmakers seemed to agree with that assertion and praised the legislature’s ability to take difficult steps towards reform.

The law is expected to save the state $75 million over the next five years and produce a 60 percent decrease in statewide juvenile prison population. Senate Bill 367 will take effect in July 2017.

Juvenile crime programs in Kansas

The new law is expected to be a huge step forward for the criminal justice system as a whole in Kansas, hopefully ending the dangerous cycle of young offenders becoming career criminals. However, even with the implementation of this and existing probation programs for minors, there is no guarantee young offenders will be granted entry into the program.

Prosecutors and judges can still exercise certain levels of discretion when it comes to the severity of charges and types of sentences handed down to minors. Having an experienced Kansas juvenile crimes lawyer on one’s side can help the courts understand the defendant’s situation and convey to them the low level of risk posed to the community.

We Are Here To Help

If your child was charged with an offense as a juvenile, contact our office to speak to one of our experienced attorneys about your case. As a former Johnson County prosecutor and Kansas Attorney General, Paul Morrison knows the ins and outs of the criminal justice system and what it takes to get results for his clients. Call us today at (913) 780-6666.

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Juvenile criminal proceedings differ greatly from adult criminal proceedings. Kansas has very specific guidelines for dealing with juvenile offenders that both parents and minors need to understand as they navigate the legal system when the child is accused of a crime.

While some juvenile offenders and their parents assume judges and courts will show leniency on minors, the truth is that what young people do during lapses of judgement can have long reaching effects on their future. At the Morrison Law Firm, LLC, our juvenile offender attorneys aggressively advocate for the legal rights of our clients to help give them a second chance and move with their lives.

Crimes vs. Delinquent Acts

When minors are arrested, they are not actually charged with a committing crime. Instead, they are charged with committing delinquent acts. However, minors may be charged as adults for very serious crimes like murder and sexual assault.

When minors are arrested in Kansas, they are taken to a Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center (JIAC) for processing. Staff administer an intake questionnaire to suspects to ascertain things like:

• How the suspect is doing in school;
• If the suspect uses drugs or alcohol; and
• Whether the suspect has had any prior run-ins with the law.

No Bail

Unlike adult suspects, juvenile offenders do not have to post bail to be released prior to trial. Instead, they are usually released back into their parents’ custody as they await charges or their court date.

When juveniles commit serious crimes in Kansas, authorities take them to Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) to await a detention hearing in front of a judge. Juveniles are sent to JDF for felonies like breaking and entering and personal felonies such as threats against another individual.

No Public Trials

In Kansas, juveniles are not afforded public trials. Instead of trials, minors go through adjudication for their crimes. To be sure, defendants are not convicted of crimes but rather adjudicated for their charges.

Depending on the seriousness of the crime, guilty verdicts usually result in punishment such as:

• Standard probation;
• Intensive supervised probation;
• Juvenile Justice Authority (JJA) Custody;
• Direct Commitment to a Juvenile Correctional Facility; or
• Sanction house commitment.

Under certain circumstances however, prosecutors may ask for motions for adult prosecution to treat minor defendants like adults and sentence them to jail time.

Overland Park Criminal Defense Attorneys

If your son or daughter has been charged with a crime, contact The Morrison Law Firm, LLC online or by calling (913) 780-6666. As a former District Attorney and Kansas Attorney General, Paul Morrison knows what it takes to advocate for the rights of the accused and will argue aggressively on behalf of your child.

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Unique situations such as juveniles being arrested for sex crimes causes there to be many questions to ask about the future of the juvenile that has been accused. Most often, if there has been an arrest for a sex crime, then the concern falls to whether or not the juvenile will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of their life. It can be dependent on the crime and the judge that hears your case when you are on trial.

Types of Sex Crimes

According to Kansas Legal Services, sex offenses include “Rape, Indecent Liberties, Aggravated Indecent Liberties, Criminal Sodomy, Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, Indecent Solicitation of a Child, Aggravated Indecent Solicitation of a Child, Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, and Unlawful Voluntary Sexual Relations, among others.”

Age Matters

Every state has set aside an age that allows for the consent of any sexual activity. For the state of Kansas, the age of consent is 16. If a juvenile participates or engages in sexual activity with someone that is 15 or younger than the age of 15, then they will be charged with a crime.

To further the reach of the law, if someone participates in any sexual activity with someone that is 13 or younger, the penalty of the law is much harsher. The law makes no allowances for those in a mutual relationship and with consensual sexual activity. The law also makes no allowances for a misrepresentation of the 13 year old’s age (or younger) from the child themselves or because you thought they were older.

The only thing that matters is that a serious crime has been committed in the eyes of the law.

Sex Offender List

The judge can order that you register as a sex offender if you are arrested for a sex crime. This can either be in a public registration or a private registration. The judge can also limit the time you are on the sex offender or list or make your listing permanent.

Contact A Legal Representative

If you or someone you know is a juvenile that has been arrested for a sex crime, choose to have an experience attorney on your side giving you the best representation possible. Contact Morrison Law Firm today online or by calling our office at (913) 780-6666.

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Has your child ever done something so harmful to his future or well-being you just want to scream, “What were you thinking?!” Honestly, they may have not been thinking about the outcome at all. Did you know that the prefrontal cortex, a section of your brain that can imagine consequences, help make judgments, and control impulses is not fully developed until the mid-20s? This is frustrating, but it is a reality of our human makeup. Not every child will commit a juvenile crime, but when it happens it can be beyond frustrating as a parent figuring out how to minimize the damage to your child.

Top 3 Common Juvenile Crimes

1. Theft/Larceny- These cases typically have to do with shoplifting, stealing other people’s property like a bike, backpack, and even things from another child’s locker. If you’ve ever been to the mall, you may have seen a police car outside escorting a pair of young girls or boys to the vehicle. Sadly, a friend, or other influence can encourage a lot of these crimes.
2. Vandalism- Nothing says, “I love you” like carving your name into a bathroom stall next to your crushes at least that is the feeling in some children and teenagers. Though this is typically the milder version of vandalism it may range in tagging, and graffiti to keying a car or slashing tires. These are all possible expressions a child or teenager may use for showing anything from affection to anger and even boredom.
3. Alcohol Offenses- Underage drinking is a huge problem for the Kansas area. Purchasing, consuming and in possession of alcohol are all crimes for a juvenile.

Contact your Johnson County and Kansas City Area Attorney

Kansas can be strict on juvenile crime, getting a professional criminal defense attorney will help minimize the damage to your child’s future and help move forward from this event. Paul Morrison has professional experience as a Johnson County District Attorney and Kansas Attorney General and understands guidelines and policies of Kansas’s law. This knowledge is used on behalf of clients. Call Morrison Law Firm, LLC at (913) 780-6666 to schedule a free consultation.

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We all make mistakes in life. Some of them involve being young and dumb and doing things that break the law. Some court systems have devised a program to ensure that the juvenile crime offender  is able to pay for his crimes, learn from his mistakes, and still keep a clean record that won’t haunt him for the rest of his life. This is called a Diversion Program.

How does someone take part in a Diversion program?

These programs are often referred on an individual bases by the Attorney’s office and require a contract agreement for the offender to commit certain requirements before the programs completion. They are helpful to those offenders who 1. Don’t want a court record, 2. Are willing to learn from their mistakes, and 3. Are willing to offer restoration to the victim(s) and or community. Once the program is completed the drug charges are dismissed but if the program is not completed the case may still have to be resolved in court.

What is involved in the program?

Essentially, this is a volunteer program that gives the offender the chance to be accountable for their behavior by either doing community service, writing an essay, taking part in some project, write a letter of apology to the victim or the court, or take part in some other life skills program that demonstrates their willingness to learn responsibility and not get involved in future criminal activities or some combination thereof.

The participant may choose to leave the program at any time and work out their case in the court system instead.

Contact an attorney that understand Juvenile law.

If your child has been arrested and charged with a crime you want an attorney with experience you can trust. No one wants a conviction that could impact their ability to get a job, get into college, or otherwise have a successful start to their adult lives and we will fight to make sure their record stays clean. Contact an Overland, Kansas, lawyer at (913) 780-6666 to schedule a free initial consultation. Let’s talk over your situation and present a strong defense against any juvenile crime charge

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