Harris County JUVENILE Defense
Protecting Children and Families Across Houston and Harris County
When your child is accused of a crime, the whole family feels it. A single charge can threaten your son or daughter's education, their record, and the future you have worked so hard to give them. The Texas juvenile justice system is complex and moves quickly, and the decisions made in the earliest days of a case can shape everything that follows. You do not have to face it alone.
Jerry Michael Acosta has dedicated his career to defending young people in Texas. As a former judge, a 10-time Super Lawyer, and an attorney with more than 20 years of experience, he knows the juvenile courts of Harris County from the inside. He understands how petitions are filed, how certification hearings unfold, and how a strong defense can keep a child in the juvenile system and out of adult court.
Our offices are located in Oak Forest at 2180 North Loop West, Suite 520, Houston, TX 77018, and we serve Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Liberty, Chambers, and Waller counties.
Defending your rights across Harris county and surrounding areas
JMA is a highly-rated Texas Juvenile Law firm that has helped thousands of families in Houston and across the State of Texas who have had to traverse the Texas Juvenile Justice System.
If you’ve been in a similar situation, the laws surrounding the Texas Juvenile Justice System can be complex, but founding attorney Jerry Michael Acosta, a proven trial lawyer, can confidently guide you through the legal process ahead.
In a Juvenile Delinquency case, a child is charged by petition by the State of Texas through the District or County Attorney in a Juvenile Court for engaging in delinquent conduct alleged to occur while the Juvenile was between the ages of 10 and 16.
Delinquent conduct is the same conduct that would constitute as a misdemeanor or a felony in an adult criminal court. If the alleged criminal conduct occurs after 17 years of age, the person accused is an adult under Texas Criminal Law.
UNDER THE FOLLOWING CIRUCUMSTANCES, YOU NEED TO CONTACT TEXAS JUVENILE LAWYER, JERRY MICHAEL ACOSTA
• A Juvenile Investigation – before a case is filed, law enforcement contacts the juvenile to investigate whether to file a juvenile case against the juvenile.
• An Indeterminate Petition – the juvenile case is filed and handled in the Juvenile Court and if adjudicated (found guilty), the juvenile is punished in the juvenile system.
• A Determinate Petition – the juvenile case is filed in Juvenile Court and guilt/innocence is determined in the Juvenile Court. If adjudicated (found guilty) the juvenile begins punishment in the juvenile system. Before the juvenile’s 19th birthday, the punishment can be transferred to the adult criminal system in a Determinate Transfer Hearing.
• A Certification Hearing – after a petition is filed, the State of Texas may file a Motion to Waive Jurisdiction if certain factors are met. If the Juvenile Judge grants the State’s petition, the Juvenile case will be transferred to an Adult Criminal District Court where a Juvenile will face adult criminal consequences.
• A Post-18 Certification Hearing – The State of Texas files a petition in Juvenile Court requesting to transfer the case to a Criminal District Adult Court after the Juvenile’s 18th birthday for conduct alleged to have happened before the Juvenile’s 17th birthday.
After that, Judges, District Attorney’s, Juvenile Probation Departments, witnesses, law enforcement, and alleged victims will complicate things. The stress involved in dealing with a Juvenile Delinquency Case with all of these parties – each with their own interests at heart – can cause confusion, anger, and hopelessness. That’s when Texas Juvenile Lawyer Jerry Michael Acosta will help protect the juvenile’s interest, record, and freedom!
Jerry Michael Acosta is experienced in:
• Law Enforcement Investigations before a Juvenile Charge is filed as:
•Misdemeanors
•Felonies
• Grand Jury Proceedings
• Certification Hearings
• Determinate Transfer Hearings
• Jury Trials
