Lawyer for juvenile criminal cases in the Netherlands

• Your child has been arrested and is at the police station.
• The police invited your child for an interview as a suspect.
• Your child was offered a Halt settlement and you doubt whether to accept it.
• The Child Protection Board (Raad voor de Kinderbescherming) wants to speak with your family.
• Your child received a summons to appear before the juvenile court judge (kinderrechter).
• Your child is 18 to 22 and you want to know whether juvenile law can still apply.

Juvenile criminal law applies to young people who were 12 to 17 years old at the time of the offence (Article 77a of the Dutch Criminal Code, Sr). Children under 12 cannot be prosecuted.

For young adults aged 18 to 22, the court can apply juvenile criminal law instead of adult law, if the personality of the suspect or the circumstances give reason to do so (Article 77c Sr). The age at the time of the offence counts, not the age at the trial.

A young suspect who is arrested cannot waive the right to speak with a lawyer before the first interview. The police must also inform the parents of the arrest as soon as possible.

Like adults, young suspects have the right to remain silent and must be told so before the interview (Article 29 of the Dutch Code of Criminal Procedure, Sv). For arrested young suspects, legal assistance at the police station is arranged through the duty lawyer scheme (piketdienst). You may choose your own lawyer. Our guide on arrest and police custody explains the time limits.

For minor offences such as shoplifting or vandalism, the police can refer a young person aged 12 to 17 to Halt instead of starting a criminal case (Article 77e Sr). The young person does an assignment and, where relevant, compensates the damage. If the Halt settlement is completed, there is no criminal record.

Halt is only possible if your child admits the offence. Accepting it when your child did not do it, or when the evidence is weak, is not always wise. We discuss this with you before your child agrees.

The juvenile court judge can impose community service of up to 200 hours, a fine, or juvenile detention (jeugddetentie). Detention is limited to one year for young people under 16 and two years for those aged 16 or 17 at the time of the offence (Article 77i Sr).

The court can also impose behavioural measures, such as a training or treatment programme. Juvenile court hearings take place behind closed doors (Article 495b Sv), and the Child Protection Board advises the court about your child's situation. Parents are summoned to attend and may speak at the hearing.

1. First contact: tell us briefly what happened and whether your child is being held. We let you know within one working day, and in urgent cases straight away, whether we can help.
2. Advice and cost estimate: we explain the procedure and the options, and give you an estimate of the costs in advance.
3. Police and Child Protection Board: we attend the interview, maintain contact with the public prosecutor and prepare the conversation with the Child Protection Board.
4. Hearing or completion: we defend your child before the juvenile court judge, or advise on a Halt settlement or another decision without trial.

Law & More does not work on a legal aid basis (toevoeging), except within the duty lawyer scheme (piketdienst) for arrested suspects. In many juvenile cases, the court assigns a lawyer free of charge. We will tell you whether that applies to your child, so that you can make an informed choice.

Your child's case is handled by Tom Meevis and Jade Vaneerdewegh. You can find them on our team page. For criminal cases in general, see our criminal lawyer page.