One of the most frightening experiences a parent can face is learning that their child was arrested. Even kids who have never been in trouble with the law sometimes make poor decisions when they go away to college and don’t have mom and dad keeping tabs on them.
Alcohol and drugs can be plentiful on and around campus. Sometimes kids who come to the University of Georgia from other states aren’t familiar with the legal age for drinking.
Of course, peer pressure can make young people do things they wouldn’t normally do. Too often, young people get arrested because the people around them were doing something illegal but they weren’t. It’s important to sort out what happened so that they don’t pay the price for someone else’s actions.
At Daniels & Rothman PC, we work to help UGA and other college students who are charged with alcohol and drug-related crimes as well as charges for fake IDs or other documents. We understand that convictions for these crimes can stay with young people for many years, inhibiting their career options and other opportunities. In the more short term, a criminal conviction can have academic consequences.
Even if a student isn’t engaged in something as serious as drunk driving, public intoxication, underage possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct carry legal penalties that should be taken seriously. In Georgia, it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to possess alcohol or to furnish or sell it to anyone under 21. UGA Police enforce these laws.
Fortunately, at UGA, a first-time misdemeanor offense won’t bring consequences from university authorities. However, future convictions may. Further, all colleges and universities have their own policies regarding students who are convicted of crimes. Students can lose scholarships, be banned from campus housing and even risk expulsion.
We understand that sometimes parents are tempted to let their kids face the consequences of their actions in order to teach them a lesson. However, the stakes are too high to let them go through the justice system without legal guidance and protection.