Teen court consequences

July 17, 2017 4:39 AM

At 16 this teenager was taken to the police station, they referred him to the teen court. Teen completed the program and got a letter indicating so. Does this event counts as an arrest? When completing a form should he answer he has been arrested? Does he have a record? If the answer is yes, what kind of record?
posted by 3dd to Law & Government (9 answers total)

What jurisdiction? What country or what US State?
posted by thelonius at 4:51 AM on July 17, 2017

If there is a law school in your state they may offer a free legal clinic (presumably you do not have the resources to consult with a criminal lawyer for 15 minutes).
posted by My Dad at 4:54 AM on July 17, 2017

Response by poster: thelonius: Broward County, Florida
posted by 3dd at 4:57 AM on July 17, 2017

Response by poster: Teen court just called back. It was a civil citation, no record.
posted by 3dd at 5:20 AM on July 17, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Excellent. No record? He should absolutely say "no" if a form asks if he has been arrested.
posted by thelonius at 5:23 AM on July 17, 2017 [3 favorites]

Is the teenager in question a U.S. citizen?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:22 AM on July 17, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: He is a green card holder. Does the civil citation shows on the background check for the citizenship application?
posted by 3dd at 8:12 AM on July 17, 2017

OK, I was imagining more like a job application. You need to talk about this to an immigration lawyer if by "a form" you mean, U.S. citizenship application.
posted by thelonius at 8:36 AM on July 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

Talk to a lawyer immediately. Do not fill out any paperwork for any reason without the advice of an attorney who specializes in immigration law. Errors/discrepancies of this nature can seriously jeopardize a person's ability to naturalize.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:48 AM on July 17, 2017 [10 favorites]