Should a parent attend a police interrogation of their 17-year-old if the police will not provide information on why the minor is being questioned?

Answer 1

Absolutely not. The police won't let the parent of a minor child be present during questioning??? Sounds fishy to me. There is no law that requires a parent or guardian to be present when a minor is questioned. In some cases the presence of such a person intimidates the minor more that the police interrogation. There are any number of reasons why police would prefer to question a minor in private, abusive situations concerning parents or family members is just one. If the minor wishes a parent to be present, then most departments will allow that to happen, it is however not mandatory on the part of the police, neither is legal counsel unless the minor is actually arrested. The minor of course can refuse to speak to the police, which may result in he or she being placed under arrest in which case legal counsel should be retained. Check what state you're in, some states consider a person 17 to be an adult and subject to criminal court procedures rather that juvinile court procedures Answer 2: O.R.C In some states there is a clause in the law that states that a 17 year old is an adult, you also have to take into consideration if the person is imancipated or not. In Ohio you can refuse to talk to police when you are being detained or arrested. "You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning...", you can also have your parent present while your being questioned. It depends on the state...