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Juvenile Defense Attorney Essay

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According to the textbook, there are three key actors in the court system. They are: the defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges.
As stated in the sixth amendment, criminal defendants have the right to counsel by a jury and a lawyer which, are the defense attorneys. Defense attorneys represent children in court and are there for all the stages of the proceedings. They help with determining whether there is “sufficient evidence to warrant filing a formal petition” (Siegel and Welsh 353). The defense attorneys also help with the ruling and disposition of the case. The defense attorneys are there to help the child better his life by seeking out opportunities for alternative plans instead of jail. Although, the defense attorneys are there to help the child out a lot of the time the child does not seem to confide in state appointed attorneys; they believe that the state …show more content…

“The juvenile prosecutor is the attorney responsible for bringing the state’s case against the accused juvenile” (Siegel and Welsh 355). The juvenile prosecutor plays a very important role in court since they have “power either to initiate or to discontinue delinquency or status-offense allegations” (Siegel and Welsh 355). Besides bringing the case against the accused the juvenile prosecutor reaches out to schools to help try to prevent juvenile delinquency.
The juvenile court judge is the most important character or actor in the court. The judge has a large influence over others in the court: “probation, the court clerk, the law enforcement officer, and the office of the juvenile prosecutor” (Siegel and Welsh 356). Although the has a large influence over others he as well is influenced and is under a huge amount of pressure by both society and the community. The judges have to punish delinquents as society sees fit and help them receive proper help as

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