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Employment after a juvenile adjudication in Pennsylvania

Many young people in Philadelphia make questionable decisions. Sometimes it is because of peer pressure, a rebellious streak or a number of other reasons. Oftentimes young people can also be short-sighted when they engage in certain activities. They do not consider the potential consequences or convince themselves that what they are doing is not that big of a deal. However, if the young person is charged with a crime and adjudicated delinquent in the juvenile law system, that choice can stay with them for a long time.

There are many collateral consequences that come with a juvenile adjudication. These are consequences that are associated with it even though they are not directly a part of the sentence. Often times the collateral consequences remain with the juvenile much longer than the punishments given by the courts.

One of these collateral consequences is a juvenile adjudication can negatively affect a person’s ability to get a job. The records of certain juvenile adjudications are available to the public. This means that prospective employers can see the adjudications when they conduct background checks and may decide that the adjudication means that the person does not meet the qualifications for the job.

Also, juvenile adjudications can prevent people from being licensed as a nurse or prevent them from working with children or the elderly. If the person is not able to get a job, it makes many other aspects of life difficult.

Sometimes young people in Philadelphia who are adjudicated delinquent. While there are both short-term and long-term consequences associated with a juvenile adjudication, not every juvenile who is charged with a crime is guilty and there may be defenses available to them. If the charges are dismissed then the juvenile may be able to avoid both the long and short-term consequences.

Source: Pennsylvania Juvenile Indigent Defense, “The Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist” accessed on March 14, 2016

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