We have all done stupid things when we were young. Some have had to pay more than others because they were the unlucky ones-they got caught. Needless to say-drinking alcohol when underage is one of the more stupid things a youth can do. But, the fact remains, close to 50% of the young populous have admitted to drinking before the legal age.
In Pennsylvania, there are very specific and strict laws regarding underage drinking. What makes the law worse is that it is written so broad, that the police and magistrates have applied it to situations where an individual can be convicted of underage drinking, even though he or she has never taken a drink. That’s right. If your son or daughter is innocently attending a party in which there is alcohol present, he or she will most likely be cited for underage drinking. Now, the law does allow for an “adjudication alternative program” and the court can order an alternative punishment. The problem with this is that it is still on your record. There are, however, other approaches that can be taken so that the charge is totally expunged.
The caveat of the above is this. To be able to ultimately expunge the incident from your record, you should be represented by an attorney that knows the options when it comes to defending underage drinking. So, if your son or daughter has had the unfortunate incident of getting cited, feel free to call my Pittsburgh law office for a free consultation. That way they will not have to live with it for the rest of their life.