How Are Juvenile Delinquency Hearings Different Than Criminal Trials?
In New Hampshire, juvenile delinquency proceedings involve persons age 18 and under. All juvenile cases are civil matters, not criminal. In juvenile delinquency cases, instead of being charged with a crime, the juvenile is accused of committing a delinquent act. A prosecutor or probation officer typically gets the ball rolling by filing a civil petition, which states the charge and requests that the court determine that the juvenile has been delinquent. Juveniles have the right to representation by an attorney...Read More