The Charges Children Face Most
Children are charged with most of the same offenses adults are, and a juvenile case can grow out of a schoolyard fight, a shoplifting stop, a party, a phone, or a moment of bad judgment. What changes is the forum, the delinquency system, and the focus, a child’s future. The charges themselves carry the same elements and defenses they would in adult court, and the charge-specific pages on this site go into each in depth, but in juvenile court they run through the process described on the how juvenile court works page.
| Category | Typical charges | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Theft and property | Shoplifting, theft, criminal mischief, trespass, burglary | Drug and property defenses |
| Drugs and alcohol | Cannabis possession, controlled substances, underage alcohol | Drug crime defense |
| Violence | Assault, battery, robbery, domestic battery | Violent crime defense |
| Weapons | Possession by a minor, a weapon at school | Weapons charge defense |
| Online and sexual | Sexting, and offenses charged under the sex-crime statutes | Sex and internet crime defense |
How the Charge Pages Connect
Because the substantive law is the same, the defenses developed elsewhere on this site apply directly to a child’s case. A juvenile drug charge draws on the same suppression and possession arguments covered in the drug crime section, a weapon allegation on the weapons section, a fight or a robbery on the violent crime section, and an online or sexual allegation on the sex and internet crime section. What the juvenile context adds is a layer of options, diversion, dispositions geared to rehabilitation, and record protections, that an adult does not have, and a defense that uses both layers gives a child the best outcome.
Sexting and the Modern Cases
Some of the most common modern juvenile cases involve phones. Florida treats sexting between minors differently from adult offenses, and a first violation under the sexting statute is handled as a noncriminal violation rather than a crime, with later violations escalating. That distinction matters enormously, because the same conduct charged under the broader sex-crime statutes carries far heavier consequences, including potential registration. Making sure a phone case is charged and resolved as what it is, a youthful lapse rather than a serious sex offense, is an important part of defending these cases.
School Consequences Run Alongside the Case
For a student, the court case is only half the problem. A juvenile arrest, and especially a felony petition, can trigger school discipline under zero-tolerance policies, including suspension, a change of placement, or expulsion, and that can happen even when the alleged conduct occurred away from campus. School resource officers are often the ones who initiate a referral in the first place. These school proceedings move on their own track, with their own hearings, and the outcome can disrupt a child’s education as much as anything the court does. Coordinating the defense of the court case with the school discipline process, rather than treating them separately, protects both the child’s record and their education.
How I Approach These Cases
I defend the charge using the same tools I would in any criminal case, the search, the evidence, the elements, while taking advantage of the options the juvenile system adds, diversion, rehabilitative dispositions, and record protection. Where school discipline is in play, I keep the court case and the school proceeding aligned so that one does not undermine the other. The aim is to resolve both the legal charge and its fallout in a way that keeps a child in school and on track.
Related: Juvenile defense overview, Diversion and keeping it off the record, Drug crime defense, and Weapons charge defense.
I began my career as an Assistant Public Defender in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, in Tampa, where delinquency cases are heard, and I am one of six ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientists in the state. A juvenile case is about a child’s future, not just the charge. Learn more about my background.
Common Questions
What are the most common juvenile charges in Florida?
Children most often face theft and property charges like shoplifting, criminal mischief, and trespass, drug and alcohol offenses including cannabis possession and underage drinking, violent charges like assault, battery, and robbery, weapon charges including possession by a minor or a weapon at school, and online or sexual allegations including sexting. Each carries the same elements it would in adult court, but runs through the delinquency process.
Is sexting between minors treated as a sex crime in Florida?
Not in the same way. Florida treats sexting between minors differently, and a first violation under the sexting statute is handled as a noncriminal violation rather than a crime, with later violations escalating. The same conduct charged under the broader sex-crime statutes carries far heavier consequences, so making sure a phone case is charged as what it is matters a great deal.
Can my child be expelled from school over a juvenile charge?
Yes. A juvenile arrest, and especially a felony petition, can trigger school discipline under zero-tolerance policies, including suspension, a change of placement, or expulsion, and that can happen even when the conduct occurred away from campus. These school proceedings run on their own track, so coordinating the court defense with the school process is important.
Do the same defenses apply in juvenile court as in adult court?
Yes, because the substantive law is the same. The suppression, possession, identification, and other defenses developed for drug, weapon, violent, and sex offenses apply directly to a child's case. What the juvenile context adds is extra options, diversion, rehabilitative dispositions, and record protections, that an adult does not have.
Should the court case and the school discipline be handled together?
Yes. The court case and the school discipline process move on separate tracks but affect each other, and what happens in one can influence the other. Coordinating the two, rather than treating them as unrelated, protects both the child's record and their education and avoids one proceeding undermining the other.
This page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. A felony petition can trigger school discipline, including expulsion, even for conduct away from campus. Juvenile procedures and consequences vary with the charge, the child’s age and history, and the circuit, so confirm how the current law applies with counsel. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
