It’s hard to say in advance exactly how juvenile charges will impact a teen’s future, but the result is rarely positive. Since juvenile felonies remain on record for life, your teen’s opportunities to secure employment, education, and housing can be seriously limited for their entire life. Even a juvenile misdemeanor can derail a teen’s plans to attend college and might make it impossible to pursue a career in certain professions. Juvenile charges mean that a teenager is making choices that put them on the wrong side of the law. For most teens, criminal charges aren’t the outcome of an isolated event but rather indicate a pattern of behavior. If your teen is ever charged with another crime in the future, having a prior charge on record can have a significant negative impact on the outcome of a future case.