Minnesota Juvenile Crime Lawyer: Bloomington, Minneapolis & Statewide

A Minnesota juvenile crime lawyer serving Bloomington, Minneapolis, and the rest of the state is who you call when your child is accused of a crime and the question that keeps you up at night is whether they will be treated as a child or as an adult. That question has a real answer in Minnesota, and it is decided at a hearing most parents have never heard of. Charles Segal defends children in juvenile courts throughout Minnesota, from Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Anoka counties to courts in Greater Minnesota, and the first thing he does on a serious case is figure out whether the prosecutor is aiming to keep it in juvenile court or move it to adult court through certification. With more than 30 years of criminal defense experience, he treats the goal as simple to state and hard to win: protect your child's future, and keep the case in the system built for children.

Can a Juvenile Be Charged as an Adult in Minnesota?

Yes, through certification. When a child is 14 or older and charged with a felony, the prosecutor can ask the juvenile court to transfer the case to adult court. For 16- and 17-year-olds charged with certain serious offenses, Minnesota makes that transfer presumptive, meaning the case starts out pointed at adult court unless the defense proves the child belongs in the juvenile system. This is the hearing that matters most, and it happens early.

At a certification hearing the court weighs the seriousness of the offense, the child's prior record, their age and maturity, and whether the juvenile system still has programming that can realistically help. The defense job is to show that keeping the case in juvenile court protects public safety better than an adult sentence would, because that is the standard the law actually asks the judge to apply.

Once a case is certified to adult court, your child faces an adult sentence, an adult record, and placement in an adult facility. Fighting certification is not one issue among many. On a serious charge it is the whole ballgame.

If a prosecutor has even hinted at certifying your child as an adult, do not wait. Call (612) 299-1110 and have the case reviewed before the certification hearing is scheduled.

EJJ: The Middle Path Between Juvenile and Adult Court

Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile, or EJJ, sits between a standard juvenile case and full adult certification, and on serious felonies it is often the real fight. A child designated EJJ gets a juvenile disposition and a stayed adult sentence at the same time. Complete the juvenile program and stay out of trouble, and the adult sentence never takes effect. Fail, and the adult sentence can be imposed.

Choosing whether to push for a straight juvenile disposition, argue for EJJ, or fight certification outright depends on the charge, the facts, and your child's history. That decision is strategy, and it is made early, which is why having a defense attorney involved from the first court date changes what is possible.

Juvenile Burglary Charges in Minneapolis and Across Minnesota

Juvenile burglary is a felony in most forms, and it is one of the charges most likely to trigger a certification request. Burglary means entering a building without consent intending to commit a crime inside. Minnesota grades it in degrees: first-degree burglary involves an occupied dwelling, a weapon, or an assault during the entry and is a serious felony, while lower degrees are still felonies that carry real consequences for a child.

Many juvenile burglary cases start as something the kids involved thought was harmless, a dare, an empty house, a friend's say-so. The law does not grade intent by how serious it felt at the time. What the defense investigates first is whether your child actually entered, whether they intended to commit a crime inside, and whether they were a participant or simply present when someone else acted. Those questions decide whether the charge holds, gets reduced, or falls apart.

Juvenile Robbery Charges in Minneapolis and Across Minnesota

Robbery is taking property from a person using force or the threat of force, and it is a felony in Minnesota. Simple robbery is a felony on its own, and aggravated robbery, which involves a weapon or inflicting bodily harm, is more serious still. Because robbery is a crime against a person and frequently charged as aggravated, a juvenile robbery case carries direct exposure to certification or EJJ designation.

The two facts that move a juvenile robbery case most are whether force or a threat was actually used, and whether your child was a principal or just present when it happened. Those are the first things we dig into, long before any plea is discussed.

A phone grabbed in a scuffle and a planned armed robbery are both labeled "robbery" on a charging document, yet they are not the same case. Getting the facts straight, and getting the charge matched to what actually happened, is where a defense attorney earns the result. If your child is facing a robbery charge, call (612) 299-1110 before any statement is given.

Penalties for a Juvenile Felony Charge

A juvenile felony charge handled in juvenile court does not end in an adult prison sentence. A child adjudicated delinquent can face a range of dispositions, and the goal of the juvenile system is correction rather than punishment:

• Probation with court supervision, typically until age 19, or age 21 in an EJJ case.
• Placement in a juvenile residential or correctional facility.
• Court-ordered treatment, counseling, or chemical dependency programming.
• Community service and restitution to any victims.
• A delinquency record that may be eligible for expungement later.

The far larger risk is the case leaving juvenile court. Once certified, a felony brings an adult sentence, an adult conviction on your child's permanent record, and placement in an adult facility. That is why keeping a felony case inside the juvenile system is usually the most important thing an attorney can accomplish on your child's behalf.

Other Juvenile Charges We Defend

Any crime an adult can be charged with, a child can be charged with too. Shoplifting and theft are among the most common juvenile cases, but Charles Segal defends children across the full range of charges, including:

• Theft, shoplifting, and burglary
• Robbery and aggravated robbery
• Assault, including domestic assault, and terroristic threats
• Underage and under-21 DWI
• Drug charges and controlled-substance offenses
• Vandalism and property crimes
• Probation violations and other felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors

Why Families Across Minnesota Call Charles Segal

Charles Segal has spent more than 30 years in Minnesota criminal defense, and he handles juvenile cases himself rather than passing them to an associate. He appears in person in juvenile courts throughout Minnesota, from Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Anoka counties in the Twin Cities to courts across Greater Minnesota, and he knows how certification and EJJ decisions actually play out in front of the judges who make them.

Just as important, he gives parents the information they need to make hard decisions under pressure. You will understand what your child is facing, what the realistic outcomes are, and what the plan is at every stage, from the first appearance through disposition and, where possible, expungement of the record afterward.

Juvenile Crimes Questions, Answered

Contact a Juvenile Crimes Lawyer in Minneapolis or Anywhere in Minnesota

One of a parent's worst fears is a child accused of a crime, rightly or wrongly. The earlier an attorney is involved, the more can be done, especially when certification to adult court is a possibility. Wherever in Minnesota your child's case is filed, Charles Segal will review every part of it and chart the path toward the best possible outcome for your child. To talk it through, call Segal Defense, P.A. at (612) 299-1110 to request a free consultation, or send us the details and we will come back to you.