A few years back, I had my very personal experience with this issue. One of my children was interrogated during school hours at school. Two detectives and two security guards questioned my child in a little office at school. Neither my husband nor I were notified until after the fact. We are law abiding citizens in our family and have never had an altercation with the police or interaction with the law. Furthermore, my husband and I were not raised in this country, therefore were not familiar with Washington State's law on child interrogation. During this time period, I lost my naivity about my believe that as long as I raise my children well and teach them right from wrong, nothing bad will ever happen to them. I learned the hard way, that in Washington State children as young as 12 years old can be interrogetad without their parent's presence. Never mind that parents have to sign a permission slip for every school field trip or to have sun lotion apllied to their children. After this incident which by the way ended well, I made it a point to tell my family and friends about this, to educate them about their rights. Some Tips: Make sure to know the laws in your particular state. For example, in Washington State, children 12 years and older can be questioned and interrogated by law enforcement without their parent's permission or knowledge. Anything a juvenile says to law enforcement (post Miranda) can be used against them in court. Juveniles, like adults, have the right to have counsel present if they are being questioned. It is best not to give a statement to law enforcement without legal counsel, even if juvenile knows taht she or he is innocent.
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