Waiver Trials and Serious Felonies

Skilled Lawyers in Kansas and Missouri

From offices in Olathe, Kansas, the attorneys of The Law Offices of N. Trey Pettlon have extensive experience handling a wide range of criminal defense matters. If your child has been accused of a serious felony in Kansas or Missouri, contact our offices today to discuss your legal concerns with one of our experienced lawyers.

Criminal Defense Attorneys Handling Serious Felonies

In the justice system, children and adults generally receive very different treatment. Traditionally the juvenile justice system is designed to teach children to make good, productive decisions and keep them from future troubles. The criminal justice system for adults taditionally focused instead on retribution and incapacitation of criminals.  Today the consequences for juvenile "offenses" can be as harsh or even worse than the consequences given to adult offenders for the same offense.

Now Kansas law allows prosecutors to seek adult prosecutuion for any child charged with any crime...allowing children to be treated by the courts as adults. In a waiver trial or "waiver hearing", children are waived to adult criminal court, losing the protections of the juvenile court. Even at the age of 10, a juvenile may be treated as an adult for their juvenile charges...the more serious the crime, the more likely the rosecutor will seek waiver to adult status.  Certainly the Government will always consider asking the Court to waive a juvenile who is charged with serious felonies such as:

• Murder
• Kidnapping
• Rape, indecent liberties with a child or other sex crimes
• Arson
• Burglary

For a juvenile accused of a crime, moving the trial to adult criminal court can be very detrimental.  Waiving a child to adult status is oftentimes unfair and can lead to irreversible damage to the child during their formative years.  Certainly most children do not possess the same emotional maturity as adults, and we believe that they should be treated accordingly. Adult criminal courts are likely to overlook these differences.  In the case of a child waived to adult status and convicted of a felony in adult court, the child will be sentenced under the adult sentencing guidleines which don't make any distinction for the age of the offender.

Working Diligently To Protect Our Clients' Futures

When you come to our offices for juvenile defense matters, you can rest assured that we will do everything we can to protect your child's future. We will work to avoid waiver trials and keep your child in juvenile court. When this is not possible, we have the extensive experience in adult court to continue to aggressively and effectively protect your child's rights when they are prosecuted as adults.

We have extensive experience across a wide range of criminal defense matters, including many serious felonies. Not only have we taken many cases all the way through to a jury verdict, but we have had tremendous success obtaining 'not guilty' verdicts. As a criminal defendant, your child has certain rights, and we will make sure these rights are protected.

If your child has been accused of a serious felony, and may be subject to a waiver trial, contact our offices today. We provide a free initial consultation — contact us to discuss your legal concerns related to serious felonies with one of our experienced criminal defense attorneys.