As such, the court will often provide minors with an incentive to turn their lives around by offering them a dismissal of the case if they comply with certain terms like community service and/or classes on personal responsibility, drug abuse and other similarly themed educational opportunities.

While minors are subject to the penal code just like adults, the fact that they are 17 or younger also brings them under the authority of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Of special significance to minors is Welfare and Institutions Code Section 790 which permits the Juvenile Judge to enter a Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ) for the minor. This resolution requires the minor to plead guilty but sentencing is delayed to give the minor time to complete community service or classes. Once the minor finishes the court requirement, then the case is DISMISSED. In this fashion, the minor is never sentenced on the offense and thus the petition is not sustained against him. This saves the minor from having the juvenile equivalent of a conviction. It also, provides the minor with a reason to “straighten up and fly right” so that he can keep his record clean.

Notably, if the minor has never been to the California Youth Authority (state prison for juveniles), has successfully completed probation on previous cases, is over the age of 14 and is not accused of a serious or violent offense he can qualify for this program. Charges that are too serious to be considered for this program include murder, robbery, rape with force, kidnapping for ransom, attempted murder and other various serious and violent offenses.

However, most juveniles qualify for the Deferred Entry of Judgment Program and are spared a juvenile conviction. Contact the Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo to discuss the particular facts of your child’s case.

If you have a criminal record, no matter how old you were at the time of the conviction, there are three different legal methods for cleaning up your criminal record. The first is an Expungement; the second is a Certificate of Rehabilitation; and the third is a Pardon.

Here is a real-life example of one client’s experience when a past criminal record threatened to impact securing a state license for a new career.

CERTIFICATE OF REHABILITATION (California Penal Code Section 4852.01 and sequential)

“I was convicted of the criminal charge concerning conspiracy to sell a controlled substance under Health and Safety Code Section 11352 over 20 years ago in an Orange County Superior Court. I was sentenced to three years of formal probation, which I successfully completed, with a suspended state prison term of five years. I was 26 years old at the time and this has been the only criminal offense on my record. I applied to the Respiratory Care Board of California to become licensed as a respiratory therapist, but my application was denied as a result of my criminal record. This cut my salary in half. I was informed that to “clean” my record, I had to do an Expungement, Certificate of Rehabilitation and Pardon. A Certificate of Rehabilitation is the second step toward a Pardon. Mr. Bruzzo filed a Certificate of Rehabilitation on my behalf, which was GRANTED. Because it was granted, the Certificate of Rehabilitation became an automatic Pardon application. Mr. Bruzzo’s legal knowledge and experience truly benefited me in my case.” ~ GA Date:11/10/09