It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: having to turn to a juvenile attorney in Houston to help them work to keep their child out of the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center or Montgomery County Jail System. As frightening as contemplating your child spending time in jail may be, rest assured that an experienced juvenile attorney is able to use many different methods to obtain alternatives to jail time.
Depending on the severity of the juvenile’s offense, there may be some very positive outcomes to your particular situation. Many of these steps are targeted towards getting your child to focus on his or her future and learn ways to reach those goals. Your Houston juvenile attorney should discuss the following stick and carrot court-ordered steps with your family:
Stick
- Tour nearby juvenile detention facilities
- Tour local colleges and create a mock course schedule using a catalogue
- Work with student to work out a job and career plan, including learning about the educational requirements of their future job choice
- Prepare a budget using the full-time income from a minimum wage job
- Write essays on career goals that include a discussion of the student’s skills and interests
- Establish a mandatory school sign-in sheet or require parent to accompany the student to school
- Restrict the student’s driver’s license privileges
- Make Saturday School program mandatory
- Coordinate weekly meetings that involve parents, teachers, attorneys and the student
- Require the use of ankle monitoring
- Establish curfews
- Require community service or establish probation
Carrot
- Help to modify the student’s schedule in order to make obtaining a part-time job easier
- Link the student up with local alternative learning sites, which may or may not include residential options
- Work with teachers to catch the student up to grade level
- Plan an awards ceremony when certain educational or personal goals are accomplished
- Coordinate individual and family counseling sessions
- Link students up with people who will offer an abundance of encouragement and praise, perhaps through a local mentoring program
If you need a skilled juvenile attorney in Houston who is determined to do everything possible to keep your child out of the Harris County or Montgomery County Jail System, contact the professionals at Musick and Musick, LLC. We have attorneys who have proven track records of success in dealing with the juvenile system and deal with each client in a compassionate and patient manner. Call us today at (281) 443-7747.
