How to Know What to Do After Receiving a Notice to Appear for Your Child

A Notice to Appear is the same as a legal summons. It requires an individual to appear before a law enforcement official at a specified date and time. It's important for you to know what to do when you receive a Notice to Appear for your child, because ignoring or avoiding the summons could incur serious legal ramifications.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer with Internet access
• Legal counsel

Handle the Notice to Appear for Your Child

1. Read over the Notice to Appear very carefully. It should tell you where you must go, the time and date of your appointment, and who you will be speaking with about your child.
2. Prepare to meet with a probation officer, who may lecture your child and then release him or her into your custody. This most often happens when juveniles are picked up for first-time, minor offenses.
3. Ask the probation officer if your child can enter into a voluntary program to avoid appearing in court. Voluntary programs can involve anything from community service to intensive counseling and special classes.
4. Be prepared for your child's file to be sent to the district attorney's office. At this point, the district attorney will decide whether to press charges against your child.
5. Hire a juvenile crime attorney to represent your child after receiving a Notice to Appear. Although representative counsel is not mandatory at this stage, your child may be able to receive a better deal if he or she has an attorney present at the meeting with the probation officer.
6. Find out the results of the meeting with the probation officer as soon as possible so you can prepare for the future. If your child must appear in an official court hearing, you'll need an attorney.
7. Find support at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Web site (see Resources below). The ACLU may be able to advise you as to how to proceed after receiving a Notice to Appear for your child, and may also be able to tell you if your child's fundamental rights were violated at any time during the process.

Tips & Warnings

• You have the right to receive proper notice in a reasonable, timely manner of any court or probational hearing concerning your child's case.
• Juvenile crime is a serious problem and should be addressed immediately. If your child gets a permanent criminal record, it could severely impair his or her chances of getting into a good college or being offered employment in the future.