A “Plea Agreement” can be negotiate and entered at any time during the process. For example, if a juvenile is in the “precharge” stages, and was being investigated, the juvenile’s attorney could contact the Detective and prosecutor directly in order to work out a plea deal prior to even setting an Advisory Hearing. Normally plea agreements are arrived at in between the “Advisory Hearing” and the “Adjudication Hearing”. Sometimes they are entered into during the “Pre-adjudication Hearing” after substantive motions have been ruled on. Once the Juvenile Plea Agreement has been negotiated, the juvenile will enter the plea giving up their right to an Adjudication Hearing, the right to compel the State to call witnesses against the juvenile; the right to cross-examine those witnesses; the right to remain silent; the right to file various motions; and even the right to Appeal. If the Judge accepts the Juvenile Plea Agreement, then he will enter in a finding of delinquency, and then set the case for “Disposition Hearing” (i.e. Sentencing).
Contact The Law Offices of David Michael Cantor and speak to an attorney about Juvenile Plea Agreements.
