Kurtz & Peckham, PC provides representation for the following matters related to Juvenile Law:
- Defending Juveniles in Delinquency Proceedings
(including detention hearings, pre-trial matters, trial representation, sentencing, and review hearings) - Expungement of Juvenile Records
- School Disciplinary Proceedings
- Providing Effective Representation for Young People
Children, like anyone brought before the justice system, need the active assistance of effectively trained, experienced counsel.
The juvenile system is more than a legal system. It is social services, school systems, residential placements, treatment providers, the guardians ad litem, and probation departments all wrapped into one. Through our experience with various courts, agencies, and prosecutors’ offices, Kurtz & Peckham can help children and their families navigate the system, head off potential problems, and get the services they need.
Kurtz & Peckham, PC is well-suited to work with the unique problems of adolescent defendants. Throughout our 38+ year history, we have worked with children in the context of the juvenile justice system and family courts throughout the Denver metro area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.
Young people need, and are entitled to, effective legal representation to ensure that they are not unnecessarily detained, improperly transferred to adult criminal court, or inappropriately committed to placement outside the home.
In juvenile court, preparing for dispositional hearings is often the most critical stage of the representation. Who the child is, why he or she got in trouble, what treatment he or she may need, and what treatment is available are issues that need to be fully explored and presented. Kurtz & Peckham, PC strives to conduct these inquiries, develop sentencing alternatives, and present a complete picture of the child to the court.
The juvenile justice system was originally designed to be “child-centered” — to integrate children into society and protect the public by providing an individualized and appropriate mix of treatment and discipline.
However, the system increasingly resembles the adult criminal justice system. Certain “crimes of violence” and sex offenses have important long-term consequences that must be considered. If the charges against a minor are sustained, he or she needs effective representation to ensure that the court’s order is fair and appropriate.
At Kurtz & Peckham, PC we take the time to communicate with child clients and their parents or guardians. Many of our clients come from different cultures, have emotional problems, or are distrustful of adults. We try hard to know who the child is, what she or he wants, and what she or he needs. We strive to explain, in a way that he or she will understand, what the options are and what is going on in court. This takes time, patience, skill, and a keen interest in children.