What is the sentence for a juvenile who has committed assault or battery?
Question Details:
My daughter had been teased because of her weight and size. One day a girl had been teasing her and kept egging her on and she snapped. She hit the girl and knocked her out and hit a few more times before she walked away. She may be facing a felony battery charge but she has not had her hearing yet. What is the maximum sentence she can receive? She is 16 and has never been in trouble like this before.
Penalties imposed for sentencing varies upon State Law. In Michigan, a crime such as stated by your facts amounts to a crime of Assault With Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, which is a 10year felony (worst case scenario), or an Aggravated Assault which is a 1yr Misdemeanor. Because she is a minor, if she is charged as a juvenile (or even as an adult), and has no prior criminal record, many jurisdictions allow for a deferred sentence upon a first offense. This is where your daughter will most likely be placed on probation, and upon a successful completion of probation, the case will be dismissed. My advice is to contact a criminal defense attorney in your area to determine precisely what your daughter could be charged with and what the possible outcomes of her case will be.
