california lawyer

a child has just done something stupid andhe’s involved in the criminal justice system. is there a way to get this resolved withouthim having to go to jail? my name is ryan mcglinn. i’m a criminal defense attorneyin san diego, california who handles juvenile law. i’m here to tell you that yes, thereis. and one of these options is called a diversion program. a diversion program is a way in whichthe case can be resolved by having your child do certain things that could potentially notresult in a criminal conviction. there are 3 different ways in which you can take advantageof the diversion process. one is through a police department. two is through the probationdepartment. and three is through the juvenile court process. in the police diversion program,your child is typically given conditions to

follow over a several month time. these conditionsinclude: be law abiding, curfew conditions. they can also include counseling classes orrehabilitation programs (a theft class or a shoplifting course). in the probation diversionprogram, you were given similar types of requirements as the police diversion program. however,these are handled by a probation officer versus a police officer. a probation diversion programwill include similar things such as curfew, potentially letters of apology to victims,and rehabilitation type programs. and your child will be given a set period of time whenthese things need to be completed. in the juvenile court diversion process, you willhave similar conditions as the probation and police department process. however, they willbe more expansive. they will be more expansive

in the counseling you might have to attend.they will be more expansive as far as the community service hours you might have tocomplete. it is a case by case basis where each of these situations are analyzed andit also depends on the type of crime that your son or daughter has committed and theirpast history of involvement with the legal process or police department. why am i tellingyou all this? because it is vitally important that if your son or daughter can take advantageof a diversion process, they do it. it will keep convictions off of their criminal recordand can be very important gaining employment in the future or obtaining, or getting intocolleges. i know you’ve got questions and i’ve got the answers. pick up the phoneand call me at 619-291-5115. my name is ryan

mcglinn, thank you for joining me.