Seeking Advice for Lateral Move from Adult Criminal Prosecution to Juvenile Delinquency
I’m transferring to my county’s juvenile delinquency unit in a few weeks. Prior to starting at our office, I had two years of experience in juvenile dependency (child abuse/neglect matters representing the state/child welfare services). I worked in family law firms while bar prepping. It was admittedly a very difficult leap from the civil and criminal world. After a year and a half of handling misdemeanors and low-level felonies, management thinks I would be successful with a fresh start in the juvenile delinquency unit. I agree with them. Everyone in the office agrees that I would benefit from more time with my cases. I’m known to take a generally more “rehabilitative approach” unless a defendant is clearly not a good probationary candidate (e.g. multiple probation violations, failures to appear/report, extensive criminal history, severity of crimes committed while on probation).
Has anyone done this lateral move before or vice versa? Any advice/tips?