Legal Question in Juvenile Dependency in Florida

In florida, my brother got caught smoking a joint on private property. He's a minor and was released to me instead of going to a detention center. The officer was very nice and told us the worse that can happen is community service. I was wondering is hat the worse? Is there anything I should do? How can I make this go away fast and painless? Thank you for your time.


Asked on 5/11/12, 7:50 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Eric Trabin Lucid Legal, PLLC

Your brother would likely be prosecuted as a juvenile. The penalties in juvenile court can range from anything like an admonition (the judge telling him he did a bad thing) to being sent to a program (which is basically like juvenile prison). It is incredibly unlikely that your brother would be sent to a program and so in all likelihood the worst is probably probation along with conditions such as community service and drug testing. However, if he has a clean history then he may be eligible for diversion which would result in the charges being dismissed. The best thing you can do for your brother is to hire him a criminal defense attorney.

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Answered on 5/16/12, 8:42 am


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