In a prior post, we reported an incident where 59 teens were arrested for underage drinking in Elmwood, New Jersey. Teenagers are not often shy about making mistakes. As they learn and grow, sometimes they make impulsive choices that do not include a lot of prior “decision making.”
Underage drinking is something that most teens experiment with. It is not a smart decision, but usually they wake up with a hangover and a sentence from their parents that leaves them grounded for some time. A criminal citation, however, can affect their future opportunities such as changing their chances at college acceptance.
Another teen party in Cranford, New Jersey left 47 students facing criminal charges and has a New Jersey school board reconsidering the district’s drug and alcohol policy. The board convened this January to revive an alcohol abuse program aimed at teens.
The citations were written during a party on New Year’s Eve after the cops were called to the scene of a fight. When the police arrived on the scene, they suspected that the “underage party was being held with alcohol on the premise,” as was written in the report. The teens were charged at the scene under the city ordinance prohibiting consumption of alcohol by a minor. The teen’s ages ranged from 15 to 18 years.
When your teen receives a citation for underage drinking, it is best to fight those charges and hand down a punishment on your own terms. With the assistance of an experienced juvenile attorney, the penalties can be reduced, charges expunged after a condition has been met or the charges could be dismissed entirely.
Source: Cranford Patch, “Arrest of 47 Teens Leads School Board to Reconsider Drug, Alcohol Policy,” Toniann Antonelli, Jan. 11, 2012