What is the maximum sentence for a juvenile?

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asked Nov 2, 2019 in Law/Ethics by svrouwefa (320 points)
What is the maximum sentence for a juvenile?

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answered Nov 2, 2019 by Carter3 (12,290 points)
In most if not all states there's no legal maximum sentence that a Juvenile can get and the sentence depends on the crime the Juvenile is convicted of.

If a Juvenile does something less serious then they might get off on community service or they might get sentenced to Juvenile detention which is Juvenile jail for 3 to 6 months and sometimes even up to a year.

If the Juvenile commits a crime such as murder or arson then they might get 15 years in prison to life in prison.

One example of a Juvenile who got sentenced to life in prison for a crime he committed at 14 years of age is Samuel Jacob Vonachen from Hutchinson KS who set a fire to his house which killed his mother and sister.

He was in Juvenile detention for awhile and then moved to adult jail and then he was sentenced to life in prison and only comes up for parole in the year 2039.

He will be 40 years old by the time he comes up for parole and there's no guarantee that he will be released from prison.

So he may have to spend the rest of his life in prison.

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