Writs and Appeals Expanded
Juvenile court has jurisdiction over cases
- where minors under 18 years of age have allegedly committed an act, which would be criminal if he/she were an adult;
- where minors have allegedly been neglected or abused by their parent or guardian; and
- where minors are considered incorrigible (meaning, beyond the control of parents, runaways, and chronic truants, etc.)
The job of the juvenile court is to protect the minor from him or herself and from others. Juvenile matters are confidential and many proceedings are not open to the public. Juvenile records are confidential and can only be released to officers of the court, specific agencies or by order of the Presiding Judge of the juvenile court. Though juvenile courts are focused more on rehabilitation, a minor still faces the possibility of incarceration in the California Youth Authority, certification to Adult Court, jail time in a local detention facility, and/or lengthy and restrictive probation periods.
Parole is the supervised release of a person before the conclusion of their prison sentence. Although similar, probation is different in that it is part of a sentence for a crime and may include various conditions, such as home confinement.
If a person violates the conditions of their parole/probation set forth by a federal or state court they may be sent to jail or prison and their parole/probation may be revoked.
The “Three-Strikes” law was enacted in the 1994 to more severely punish persons who repeatedly commit crimes. The law significantly increased prison sentences for persons previously convicted of a serious felony. The law also limited alternative sentencing options available to judges.
A partial list of “Three Strikes” offenses includes: murder, robbery, rape, sexual offenses, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon. There are other crimes which will qualify under the “Three Strikes” law. A person could potentially be sentenced to 25 years to life if they are a repeat offender and the “Three Strikes” law applies.
California law regulates who may possess, carry, and use a firearm, and what types of firearms are lawful. Weapons violations include offenses such as discharging a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of an unlawful weapon, and the unlawful sale of firearms.
No assault weapons, machine guns or ammunition feeding devices with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds can be transported into California.
New residents who own handguns have 60 days to register or sell their handgun once they move into California. Convicted felons are not allowed to possess or own firearms.
