Many people break some law or another when they are young. This could be due to a prank gone wrong, peer pressure from friends, not understanding something is illegal or just poor decision-making.
Many times nothing comes of such events other than a telling off by a police officer or other person with authority. Sometimes, though, the result is a criminal charge.
Convictions can have a lifelong effect
Young people have their whole lives ahead of them. That is plenty of time to learn from their mistake, put it behind them and go on to have a successful and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, not everyone may be willing to let them forget about it. If a charge leads to a conviction, their error could follow them around for years to come, harming their chances of finding the success and happiness they deserve.
Convictions can show up on background checks that employers may run when the person applies for jobs. The same can happen when they apply for higher education, housing or a professional license.
Life can become more difficult in other ways not related to background checks too. Some local people may put a mental black mark against that person for years. They may designate them as not suitable for a voluntary position, not suitable to date my daughter or not the kind of person we want on our team. Police officers too could move the person onto their list of suspects to consider when other crimes occur in the area.
Everyone makes mistakes. Understanding the options to fight a charge can increase the chance a young person’s mistake is treated as just that, rather than something that will follow them for years to come.