Young people often lack good judgment and make mistakes that result in juvenile crimes charges. It’s part of growing up. However, youthful mistakes can result in criminal charges and serious consequences that can cast a long shadow over a once-bright future. We’re parents ourselves, so we understand the desire to protect your child’s future, we understand how kids behave, and we understand the dynamics of middle school, high school, peer and social interactions. We also have significant experience helping and advocating for juveniles that have underlying issues such as ADD/ADHD, autism, depression/anxiety, addiction, personality disorders and a variety of other mental health diagnosis. 

At Ryan Pacyga Criminal Defense, we represent clients in juvenile court. Our juvenile criminal defense lawyers work to minimize the negative consequences to young clients today and help improve their lives in the future. 

We represent juvenile crimes, including: 

• Underage drinking 
• Drug-related crimes, including possession and sales of controlled substances
• Driving while impaired (DWI)
• Theft, including auto theft 
• Robbery 
• Burglary 
• Violent crimes, including assault, threats of violence, manslaughter and murder 
• Computer crimes 
• Sex crimes including criminal sexual conduct, invasion of privacy and possession or distribution of child pornography 
• Weapons and firearms crimes 

Treating Juveniles As Adults

The Minnesota court system is set up to rehabilitate young offenders after they commit juvenile crimes, not to punish them. When an juvenile crimes charge is serious or violent, however, the state will work to certify the minor to be charged in adult court. 

Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction (EJJ) is another option for prosecutors. This approach straddles the adult and juvenile worlds. EJJ imposes an adult sentence but stays the sentence as long as the juvenile successfully completes a program that can include staying in school, maintaining a job, participation in treatment programs and other requirements. EJJ can keep an adult criminal sentence hanging over a young person’s head until he or she turns 21 years old. 

Keeping Juvenile Offenders In Juvenile Crimes Court

Our St. Paul, criminal defense lawyers have a record of success in keeping cases against minors in juvenile court and defeating the prosecution’s efforts to certify your child as an adult. We are skilled at using experts in child development to help prevent adult consequences from being imposed on a juvenile, helping diminish the punishment they’re facing and also helping protect their record. 

We explore all options for minimizing the negative consequences to our young clients. We will work to defeat attempts to certify your child as an adult, and we also challenge EJJ hearings as well. Once that stage is over with, we also work to get the case dismissed, have the charges reduced, or take the case to trial. In some cases, we will encourage our client to make restitution, participate in treatment or other appropriate programs. 

Sometimes it is necessary to take a juvenile case to trial. Ryan Pacyga Criminal Defense lawyers have experienced trial attorneys who have taken juvenile cases all the way to trial and won. 

To learn more about how we can help, please call 612-474-9824 or contact us by email. We represent juveniles in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and throughout Minnesota.