Practice area – Juvenile Defense
Juvenile case in Riverside County?
Juvenile court is a separate world. Different rules, different penalties, and often different stakes. Records can be sealed at 18.
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What you’re facing
Juvenile court operates under the Welfare & Institutions Code, not the Penal Code. The system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Penalties are called dispositions – they can include informal probation, formal probation, community service, restitution, counseling, electronic monitoring, ranch placement, or DJJ (Division of Juvenile Justice) commitment for serious cases. There are no juries in juvenile court. Records can often be sealed at age 18 under W&I 781. But the most serious cases can be transferred to adult court via WIC 707 motion, where adult sentencing applies.
Defenses I build
Juvenile defense work has its own playbook. I advocate for informal probation and diversion when eligible. I work to negotiate dispositions that prioritize rehabilitation over commitment. I prepare sealing petitions for record clearance at 18. When transfer-to-adult motions are filed (WIC 707), the transfer hearing becomes the most important moment in the case – I prepare detailed transfer-resistance evidence focusing on the five factors: age, sophistication, prior delinquent history, rehabilitative potential, and gravity of the offense.
Juvenile Defense Case Results
Charged With
Case result available on consultation
Outcome
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Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
Assault w/ Deadly Weapon + Great Bodily Injury
Outcome
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Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
Take-Over Robbery, Kidnapping, 3 Strikes – Multiple life counts
Outcome
12 Years
Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
Case result available on consultation
Outcome
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Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
Case result available on consultation
Outcome
12 Years
Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
ADW + Robbery + GBI + Gang Affiliation
Outcome
NOT GUILTY
Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Charged With
Attempted Murder – Facing 7 yrs to Life
Outcome
Misdemeanor, Time Served
Juvenile – Riverside Co.
Common Questions
What is different about juvenile court?
California defines violent crimes broadly: murder and attempted murder, assault and assault with a deadly weapon (Penal Code 245), robbery and armed robbery, kidnapping, criminal threats, and any offense resulting in great bodily injury. Many include gang or firearm enhancements that stack additional years on top of the base sentence. Most are also Strike Offenses, meaning the conviction follows you for life and doubles your exposure on any future felony.
What is WIC 707 transfer?
WIC 707 is the California statute allowing the prosecution to seek transfer of a juvenile case to adult court. The court considers five factors: (1) the minor age, (2) degree of criminal sophistication, (3) likelihood of rehabilitation before juvenile jurisdiction expires, (4) prior delinquent history, (5) gravity and circumstances of the alleged offense. Recent reforms have made transfer harder – the court must now make specific findings that the minor is not amenable to juvenile court treatment. Successfully defeating transfer keeps the case in juvenile court with all of its rehabilitative options.
Can juvenile records be sealed?
Yes, in most cases. Under W&I 781, juvenile records can be sealed and physically destroyed after the case concludes and certain conditions are met. For minor offenses, sealing often happens automatically when the minor turns 18 (or 21 for some offenses). For more serious cases, a petition is required. Sealing means the case never happened for most legal purposes (with limited exceptions like sex offenses, certain DJJ commitments). It is one of the most important post-disposition steps in juvenile work.
How Juvenile Court Works
The juvenile court process has its own structure and terminology:
Detention Hearing
Within 48 hours of detention. Court decides initial custody.
Jurisdictional Hearing
Equivalent of adult trial. Bench trial – no jury.
Disposition Hearing
Equivalent of sentencing. Treatment-focused outcomes.
Informal Probation (WIC 654)
Pre-petition diversion. Often for first-time misdemeanors.
Deferred Entry of Judgment (WIC 790)
Post-petition diversion.
Formal Probation (WIC 725)
Court-supervised probation with conditions.
Ranch Placement
Out-of-home placement for treatment.
DJJ Commitment (WIC 731)
For serious felony adjudications.
WIC 707 Transfer – The Critical Issue
When a juvenile case is serious enough for the DA to seek adult court transfer, the WIC 707 hearing becomes everything:
- Five factors: age, sophistication, prior history, rehabilitative potential, gravity of offense
- Recent California reforms have made transfer harder – court must find minor is not amenable to juvenile court
- If transferred, the case proceeds in adult court with adult sentencing – the entire trajectory changes
- Defense at the transfer hearing focuses on rehabilitative evidence: mental health, family circumstances, school records
- Successfully defeating transfer keeps the case in juvenile court with rehabilitation focus and sealing eligibility
The WIC 707 hearing is often the most consequential moment in a serious juvenile case. The difference between juvenile court and adult court can be the difference between sealing the record at 18 and a permanent felony on the criminal record.