Archive for the ‘Drugs’ Category
Should high school students be subjected to random drug testing? That’s a question the Davis Board of Education is considering saying “yes” to.
Photo: Francis Storr
A vote among school board members came out with five members voting for and two against the preliminary random drug testing policy. The policy would allow every high school within the Davis County boundaries to randomly test five students each week for a variety of substances.
Which Students Would be Tested for Drugs?
According to reports, the drug testing policy was requested by school administrators and parents. As currently written, the random drug testing would affect student government officers, student athletes and cheerleaders. If given final approval, the policy will go into effect next year.
Although there wasn’t a lot of opposition at the recent school board meeting, once people get a chance to consider the concept more fully it will be interesting to see whether the random drug testing policy is easily approved or if there are more people who speak out against the potential governmental intrusion into their kids’ personal lives. After all, children have rights, too—as far as we know.
Do You Have an Opinion on this Issue?
What’s your opinion on random drug testing of high school students? Also, do you think it makes sense that only the athletes, cheerleaders and student leadership will be tested? Maybe there are some more questions that should be answered before a final decision is made. If you have concerns either way about this issue, don’t wait to contact the Davis School Board.
Kids Need Legal Representation Too
You should know that if your child ever ends up in legal trouble there are excellent Utah juvenile defense attorneys available to help him. It doesn’t matter whether his problems are drug-related or a different offense. One of the best ways to help your child is to talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney today.
Tags: attorney, crime, drug testing, Drugs, high school, law, offense, utah
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Social media can be fun, interesting and even useful. Sometimes it can lead to problems, particularly for juveniles who don’t realize the dangers involved in social media like Facebook and Twitter.
Photo: Randy Pertiet
Watch What You Tweet
A couple of Utah teens are now feeling the repercussions of their Twitter time. The girls were arrested after one of their parents went through her daughter’s phone and found out about a marijuana get-together planned by the two girls and an 18-year-old male.
Police intercepted a text from the man to the girl’s phone and arranged to have him pick up both girls in front of their middle school. When the man arrived, police arrested him, even though he said he believed the girls were 16. After searching the man’s vehicle, he was charged with multiple crimes, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The girls allegedly were both in possession of a small amount of marijuana and are being investigated.
Don’t be a Bystander in Your Kid’s Life
The parents in this situation deserve kudos for keeping an eye on their kids. Obviously they couldn’t keep their children under constant surveillance, but when illegal drugs are involved it always better late than never.
Your kids may resent your “interference” in their lives, but it makes sense to keep tabs on what they’re up to, who they hang out with and their texting and social media habits. Your parenting may save your child from situations they can’t possibly foresee at their age.
Get Help From a Utah Juvenile Defense Attorney
If you have a child who’s already made some mistakes, don’t wait to contact a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Kids need legal help just as much as adults, but they rely on parents to make that decision for them.
Do your child and yourself a favor by talking to a Utah juvenile defense attorney today.
Tags: crime, drug, drug use, Drugs, juvenile, marijuana, offense, School, teens, underage, utah
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If you have a teen whose driver’s license has been suspended or denied because he’s been convicted of a juvenile offense, you might be interested in trying to have that suspension or denial shortened or lifted. There is a legal motion that can be filed to make such a request, although filing a motion concerning a juvenile ‘s driving privileges doesn’t guarantee you’ll get what you want.
The state of Utah admits that filing a motion to shorten a teen’s driver’s license suspension or denial can be complicated. You may want to discuss your child’s case with a Utah juvenile defense attorney before (or instead of) attempting to handle a complex legal procedure on your own. You are under no obligation to talk to an attorney, but having a Utah juvenile defense attorney on your child’s case may help immensely.
In order to qualify for shortening the time period of driver’s license suspension or denial, your child must:
• Have completed at least 6 months of the suspension or denial if you were 19 but not yet 21 on the date of the violation
• Have completed at least 2 years of the suspension or denial if you were under the age of 19 on the date of the violation
• Have completed the drug or alcohol screening that was ordered by the judge as part of your sentence and
• Completed any required assessment
• Completed any necessary substance abuse treatment
• Completed any required drug or alcohol educational series
• Not have been convicted of any motor vehicle law violation while driving
• Not have illegally drunk any alcohol
• Have done what’s required by the court, including not violating any probation
Talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney today if you believe your child is ready to make a motion to have his driver’s license suspension or denial changed. We understand the challenges that families face and are ready to help your child in any aspect of his juvenile court case.
Tags: Alcohol, child, crime, driver's license, driving, Drugs, juvenile, license, offense, teen, utah
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Several Utah kids have been suspended from elementary school, and one arrested, following a police investigation into a drug scheme that may have been organized by the juvenile who was arrested.
The juvenile arrested is an eighth-grader from a local middle school. Authorities believe that he would purchase marijuana from another individual and then pay the other kids—sixth graders—to pick up the drugs. Police think that the drug dealer lives somewhere near the elementary school attended by the younger kids.
The sixth-graders were all suspended from school; the older child heading up the drug scheme was suspended and arrested. He is being investigated for drug distribution and over 150 counts of child endangerment, all of which are class A misdemeanors.
Offenses in Juvenile Court
In an adult court, every class A misdemeanor charge comes with the potential penalty of up to one year in jail. Unless the child in question’s case is transferred to district court, he will be under the purview of the state’s juvenile justice system where his actions will be treated more as offenses then crimes, although he may still spend time in a detention facility if a juvenile judge deems it appropriate.
Although this incident may be a bit surprising, local school officials seem to think it is an isolated situation and not a sign of bigger drug problems in the elementary school system. Hopefully that is the case.
Discuss Your Child’s Case with a Utah Juvenile Defense Attorney
When you have a child who has been arrested, whether for drug-related charges or something else, you should seriously consider contacting a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Kids who have committed offenses need and deserve help, particularly legal assistance. Do your child a favor and talk to a top Utah juvenile defense attorney today.
Tags: child, court, drug, Drugs, juvenile, juveniles, kids, marijuana, School, utah
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A conspiracy involving drug-spiked milkshakes sent two California parents to dreamland while their teenage daughter and a friend had unlimited Internet access.
Photo: jamieanne
Using the Internet Past Curfew
Apparently the girl wanted to use the Internet past her curfew, so in order to facilitate her wishes, she and her friend put prescription sleeping pills in a couple of shakes and gave them to her parents. The girls were arrested and booked on suspicion of conspiracy and purposefully mixing drugs with food, while waiting to find out if they’ll officially be charged with a crime.
What is Conspiracy?
In Utah, conspiracy is an inchoate offense, and you may be guilty of conspiracy when you agree with one or more people to engage in conduct and any one of the “group” commits an overt act to try and further the conspiracy—all along intending that a crime be committed. Except when the offense is a capital felony, a felony against the person, arson, burglary or robbery, a person doesn’t actually have to commit an overt act in order to be charged with criminal conspiracy.
As we’ve noted in the past, the Utah juvenile justice system is designed to assist in rehabilitating juvenile offenders, not to send them to prison or jail for lengthy sentences. It’s important that kids who show remorse be given the chance to try and redeem themselves and make reparations for negative behavior. Given the opportunity, most kids will work to turn their lives around and get back on track.
Hire a Utah Juvenile Defense Attorney
This is why it’s vital that you contact a Utah juvenile defense attorney if you have a child who has been arrested for any offense. Help your child reach his potential and get the best legal outcome possible by having him represented by a top Utah juvenile defense attorney.
Tags: child, conspiracy, crime, detention, drug, Drugs, jail, juvenile, Prison, utah
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There is some basic information that can be valuable for parents and teens to know about juvenile drug court in Utah.
Photo: epSos.de
Why Was a Juvenile Drug Court Created?
To help certain juvenile drug offenders and alcohol offenders work though their substance issues.
The juvenile drug court’s goal is to help prevent further substance abuse difficulties. No one is required to attend drug court; it is a choice for those juveniles who qualify.
There are minimum required penalties for kids who’ve been charged with drug or alcohol offenses. They include:
• 20-100 hours of community service
• $150-$500 fine
• Loss of driver’s license
What’s Involved in Participating in Juvenile Drug Court?
• At least six months’ commitment
• Entering into a contract
• At least 60 hours of community service
• Evaluations
• Intervention classes and/or substance abuse counseling
• Random substance testing
• Written assignments
• Home visits
• Required school attendance and acceptable grades
• Following home rules
• Attendance at classes with a parent
• Attendance at monthly court reviews
• No new infractions
It may seem like a lot of work to participate in a juvenile drug court, but it may turn out to be a beneficial route to take—both for a child and his family.
If you have questions about juvenile drug court or any other juvenile-related concerns, don’t wait to talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Consulting an attorney on behalf of your child may be the best decision you can make to turn your child’s life around. Make the right call today.
Tags: Alcohol, attorney, crime, drug court, Drugs, juvenile, juvenile drug court, kids, offense, teens
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Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (a DUI) is usually a class B misdemeanor with a maximum jail time of 180 days and a maximum fine of $1,500.00 plus an 85% surcharge.
A first time DUI offender is required to spend two nights in jail, although it is possible in some cases to complete community service hours in lieu of jail.
Tags: Alcohol, DUI, Felony DUI
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A research brief just published by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice examines why the serious crime rates among youth in California have dropped substantially in recent years. Although logic suggests that drug crime rates would fall with the changes in drug laws, the crime rates for violent and property felonies, homicide, and misdemeanors in general also decreased.
Overall, California serious youth crime rates have fallen faster than national rates in the last 40 years.
The researchers were only able to positively correlate the crime decline with two factors: (1) the 2011 change in marijuana law, downgrading low-level possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction; and (2) improvements in the economic well-being of California’s youth. Even these correlations though were moderate. This suggests that policy-makers need to re-think “the often emotional and increasingly unfounded rhetoric now used to characterize young people, violence, and crime.” In particular, California’s drop in youth crime shows “that contrary to conventional notions, more youth and increasing racial and ethnic diversity do not lead to more crime” because California has the most diverse youth population and now has the lowest offense level ever reliably calculated.
For the full brief click: CA_Youth_Crime_2011.
The truth is that many factors influence youth propensity to commit crime and many factors may make legal intervention more or less successful. For those with a child or teen that has already been arrested and is involved in the justice system, contacting an experienced juvenile attorney may make the difference in getting them back on track.
Tags: crime, Felony, high school drugs, juvenile, Juvenile crimes, marijuana, Serious Youth Offender, teen, teenager, teens
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The Case
The Utah Court of Appeals ruled today that charges for supplying alcohol to minors should not have been dismissed against Xavier Morrison. The trial court dismissed the charges initially, reasoning that charging an 18-year-old with supplying alcohol to other 18-year-olds (who were actually slightly older than Mr. Morrison) would create an “absurd result.” The trial court interpreted the law against supplying alcohol to minors as meant to protect minors, not to be a basis for prosecuting them.
The court of appeals agreed that the law prohibiting supplying alcohol to minors was meant to protect minors but unlike other cases applying the “absurd result” doctrine, the crime here involves a clear perpetrator and victim so prosecuting the perpetrator is okay. Mr. Morrison obtained the alcohol on his own by doing a “Hey Mister,” where a minor asks an adult to purchase the alcohol for them. The court of appeals limited its decision to where the minor being charged was clearly the supplier–leaving open whether a minor could still be charged for supplying if the other minors participated in getting the alcohol.
For the full opinion click here: State v. Morrison
Underage Drinking and Supplying Alcohol
This case creates a good opportunity for parents to remind their kids, and to remind young adults in general, that underage drinking can have serious legal consequences. If a minor is caught supplying alcohol to their friends, not only will they be cited for underage drinking, they could also be charged with supplying the alcohol, a class A misdemeanor if they know their friends are underage.
If your minor is caught drinking underage, don’t hesitate to call an experienced juvenile and criminal attorney to help!
Tags: Alcohol, appeal, attorney, court, crime, Hey Mister, juvenile, kids, law, teen, teenager, utah, youth
Posted in Alcohol, Drugs, Juvenile Defense Misc, Utah Law | No Comments »
Attribution: compujeramey
Columbia University does an annual survey of American kids from ages 12 to 17 to track the prevalence of drugs in high schools. This year, the participants responded that 17% of their classmates are using drugs, drinking, and/or smoking during the school day. There were other interesting findings. The study showed that kids are more likely to have tried drugs, alcohol, or tobacco if they view pictures of other kids using alcohol and/or drugs on social networking sites like Facebook. Also, younger teens were found to have easier access to (within an hour to get) prescription medication than marijuana. This marks the sixth straight year that 60% or more of the surveyed students reporting that their “high schools are drug infected, meaning that drugs are used, kept or sold at the schools.” Columbia High School Study.
As the drug presence in schools increases, it’s important for parents, teachers, and community leaders to take preventative measures with the youth they supervise to prevent these behaviors. For those families already dealing with these issues in the juvenile justice system, it can be difficult to determine how to act in a child’s best interest. A Utah juvenile defense attorney can help these families navigate the variety of rehabilitative options available, such as juvenile drug court programs or other substance abuse treatment options, so the youth has the optimal environment and opportunity for success. If you and your child are dealing with the juvenile justice system, for drugs or otherwise, contact an experienced juvenile defense attorney to help both you find the best solution for your family
Tags: Alcohol, facebook, high school drugs, juvenile, Juvenile Court, kids, marijuana, School, teenager, teens, Tobacco, utah, youth
Posted in Drugs, Juvenile Court, Juvenile Defense Misc, School | No Comments »
