Youthful Offender Sentencing
In the State of Florida, a court may impose a youthful offender (YO) sentence to somebody who is at least 18 years old who has been transferred for prosecution to circuit court from juvenile court (juvenile direct file). As well, a court can impose a YO sentence on somebody who is found guilty or has pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, and that offender is younger than 21 at the time of sentencing, so long as they have not been previously classified a youthful offender.
The benefit to a YO sentence is that the court cannot impose a sentence longer than 6 years. The court may impose a split sentence whereby the youthful offender serves a maximum of 364 days in a county facility, followed by supervision, such as
probation or community control. Community control (house arrest) cannot exceed 2 years. Probation can follow community control for 4 years.
A YO sentence can spare a young defendant from facing the harsh
maximum penalties associated with serious violent felonies.
Of course, the court will consider the violent nature of the charge, the record and previous history of the accused, and the interests of protection of the community before imposing a YO sentence. However, a good
criminal defense attorney who practices in the Miami and Broward courts may be able to craft an intelligent argument, explaining to the judge why their client should be given YO sanctions.
If you or your child is facing significant prison time for a serious felony offense, contact me, a Miami and Broward
criminal defense lawyer.
Call my office to set up a free consultation.