Juvenile Defense

Juvenile Crime Defense Attorney in Tarrant County

If your child has been charged with a criminal offense of any kind, or if you need help obtaining your child's release from custody through a detention hearing, contact Fort Worth juvenile defense lawyer Shawn Matlock for a free consultation. At the Matlock Law Firm, our thorough familiarity with Texas juvenile laws and procedures and the local approaches to juvenile justice and treatment in Tarrant County can help you achieve a favorable outcome for your son or daughter.

Defense attorney Shawn Matlock advises and represents families whose children face charges of such crimes as the following:

• Possession or sale of illegal drugs
• Weapons offenses, including illegal gun possession
• Assault and battery charges ranging from fighting at school to aggravated assault or homicide
• Sex crimes such as statutory rape or indecency
• Property crimes such as burglary, auto theft, or vandalism
• Possession of pornography, including nude photos of an underage friend
• Underage drinking and fake ID cases

For first offenders charged with any but the most serious crimes, a realistic objective for resolving the case is a decision for deferred prosecution — if the juvenile stays out of trouble for a specified period, the original charges can be dismissed.

Our firm also represents juveniles charged with such serious crimes as murder, kidnapping, or sexual assault that can expose a child to punishment as an adult. We can work to avoid certification of the child as an adult through vigorous defense at the pretrial stages of the case.

One important difference between the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems is that young people charged with crimes in juvenile court are not entitled to bond or bail. Instead, the question of their release from custody pending trial or other resolution is determined at a detention hearing. If release is initially denied, another detention hearing can be scheduled 10 days later. We have found that it might take two or three detention hearings before the court will order release of a juvenile from custody, depending on the nature of the crimes charged.

For additional information about our experience with juvenile crime charges, contact Fort Worth defense attorney Shawn Matlock for a free consultation.