If you’re a parent of a teenager who has been accused of criminal activity, you may be asking yourself why this happened. Maybe your teen was caught shoplifting or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. These are things that you never thought that they would do, and you can’t believe that they not only did them but that they also got arrested.
What studies have found is that outside forces have a lot of influence on people, especially teenagers. Things like peer pressure have been linked to criminal activity. A young person who may have always followed the law to the letter on their own could be influenced to break the law if the group of peers that they’re with tries to pressure them into doing so.
It’s not just teenagers who are susceptible to this. You’ll also find it with a lot of adults. Someone may be pressured to drive their friends home after they’ve all had too much to drink, for instance. An employee may be pressured to embezzle items from work by the other employees in the office. Outside pressure plays a significant role in everyone’s life, and that role is not always a positive one.
What options do you have?
Unfortunately, peer pressure itself is not a defense to criminal activity. It may be true that your teenager was manipulated or influenced by others, but they still broke the law. This can still lead to serious charges that may impact the rest of that young person’s life.
As a result, it’s very important for you and your teenager to understand all of the criminal defense options at your disposal.