THINK ABOUT IT! ONE BAD DECISION… ONE LIFETIME OF
CONSEQUENCES
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Every case is different, but a finding of delinquency (the equivalent of
"guilty") in Juvenile Court COULD…
1. Keep you from getting a driver's
license.
- A judge can delay you from getting a
driver's license or suspend the driver's license you already have.[i]
- Drug
offensesresult
in automatic suspensions of your license.[ii]
2. Cause
you to be suspended or expelled, even if your charges had nothing to do with
school.
- You
could be sent to alternative school, suspended or expelled.[iii]
3. Prevent
you from joining the military.
- While
each branch of the military has different rules, most of the time they will ask
you to release information about any adjudications (juvenile findings of
guilt).
- The
military considers anyone convicted (or adjudicated, which is considered a
conviction by the federal government) of a felony as not eligible to join,
though exceptions can be made by asking for a moral waiver.[iv]
4. Have
consequences for college admissions.
- A
college or university may ask questions about juvenile adjudications.
5. Keep
you from the job of your dreams.
- A
background check used by most employers in Georgia will not find a juvenile
record, but federal agencies and each state's professional licensing boards (if
you want to be a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse, etc.) decide whether or not they
consider juvenile court adjudications to be counted as convictions.
- For example, the Controlled Substances
Act treats juvenile adjudications as convictions for purposes of commercial
driver's licenses.[v]
6. Force
your family to move.
- Landlords,
including those who operate Section 8 housing, often prohibit any "criminal
activity" by anyone living on their property. In these cases, any crime
committed by anyone in the home can result in your being evicted.[vi]
- Past "criminal activity" by anyone
in the home can be used as a reason for a landlord to refuse to rent a home to
your family.
7. Have
immigration consequences.
- For
noncitizens, juvenile court cases
can prevent you from becoming a legal resident or a citizen or could cause you
to have to leave the country.[vii]
8. Result
in having to register as a sex offender, depending on where you live or go on
vacation.
- Georgia does not require children
found delinquent ("guilty") of sex offenses in juvenile court to register as
sex offenders.
- However, other states do require
children to register for sex offenses even if they were handled in juvenile
court in another state.
- In other states, staying a few days
may be long enough to be considered a resident of that state and required to
register as a sex offender.
9. Be
used against you at a bond or sentencing hearing if you face charges as an
adult.
- Georgia allows prosecutors and
Superior Courts to access juvenile records if someone is prosecuted for a
crime.[viii]
REMEMBER
- You
have the right to a lawyer if you are arrested or charged with an offense.
- DO
NOT talk to anyone about what happened without talking to a lawyer.This includes family, friends, police, and
posts on social media!
- The
only questions you should answer without a lawyer are your name, birthdate and
address.
- DO
NOT sign any statements about what happened without talking to a lawyer.
[i] O.C.G.A. § 15-11-601(a)(9);O.C.G.A.§ 15-11-630 (f)(2)
[ii] O.C.G.A.§ 40-5-75
[iii] O.C.G.A.
§ 20-2-751.5(c);O.C.G.A. § 20-2-768
[iv] 10
U.S.C.A. § 504.
[v] 23
U.S.C.A.O.C.G.A. §
159
[vi] 42 U.S.C.A. § 1437a;24 CFR § 5.851
[vii] 8 U.S.C.A § 1182;8 U.S.C. § 1227
[viii]
O.C.G.A. § 15-11-704;O.C.G.A. § 15-11-708