Riverside, NJ asked in Criminal Law and Juvenile Law for New Jersey

Q: Can a juvenile be detained for a criminal act he admitted to even if everyone involved was not questioned?

My 16 yr old is being detained because he admitted to a criminal act but not everyone involved in the incident was questioned yet. Also, the weapon in the complaint is not what my son admitted too - and the complaint document was shown to us after he was detained.

Is this process correct?

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1 Lawyer Answer
H. Scott Aalsberg
H. Scott Aalsberg
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • East Brunswick, NJ
  • Licensed in New Jersey

A: The short answer is yes a juvenile can be detained for a criminal act he admitted to even if everyone involved was not questioned. That being said that does not mean that the police didn't do something wrong in the investigation and you should definitely hire a lawyer to determine this and represent him for the charge, because if he is being held over this is a serious crime where he probably faces the possibility of many years in jail.

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