My Son is in trouble

[Forgotten Father]

I have just fought for and won shared parental responsibility ( Florida) of my 13 year old son that I just found out about 2 years ago.

I informed by his mother a month or so ago that my son has been placed on probation for fighting on the way home from school.

My son came and visited me for the Christmas Holiday and we had a great time.

Two days after he returned his mother called me and told me that she called my son's probation officer because the just discovered that serveral month's ago he had taken a Knife (registered weapon) from the bedside table in the parents bedroom and had left it at a friends home.

The probation officer came to see them and is sending my son to Juvenile Detention for 20 days at the end of January.

When all this came down I offered for my son to come and stay with me until his mother moves (6 months) because her main issue with my son is his friends in the neighborhood.

She thought it was a good idea, but after discussing it with her husband and my son she decided that it would be too difficult to transfer his school and probation.  We live a little over 400 miles apart.

She also stated that this stint in juvenile is the last stop before he is sent to boot camp for one year (which his mother is all for).

1. I would like to know what relation his juvenile case and my custody case would have in common?

2.If I wanted to offer to take responsibility for him during his probation and ongoing. Would I be able to do this through his juvenile case or would it have to be the custody Case?

I am not even sure that anyone involved in the Juvenile case has any idea he has a father.

3. Would I be correct in assuming that I would be a viable alternative to JDC and/or bootcamp, as I am willing and able to provide the type of supervision my son needs?

Thank you for your help.

Forgotten Father

[nosonew]

kids generally do better in school and with regard to getting in trouble if they live with their father.   Have YOU talked to the probation officer about him moving in with you?  Are you prepared to take on a teenager that you hardly know with all of his problems?  I commend you for what you want to do, just beware of the old saying "Be careful what you wish for...you may just get it!"

[socrateaser]

>1. I would like to know what relation his juvenile case and my
>custody case would have in common?

Criminal law trumps family law.

>
>2.If I wanted to offer to take responsibility for him during
>his probation and ongoing. Would I be able to do this through
>his juvenile case or would it have to be the custody Case?

Juvenile

>
>I am not even sure that anyone involved in the Juvenile case
>has any idea he has a father.

You can notify the juvenile court of the existence of your new custody order and asked to be a party to any future court proceedings. You should be able to simply send a copy of the custody order to the probation officer and he/she will be free to discuss the matter with you.

>
>3. Would I be correct in assuming that I would be a viable
>alternative to JDC and/or bootcamp, as I am willing and able
>to provide the type of supervision my son needs?

No. You would need to show a substantial causal relationship between the child's behavior and the current custody relationship. If you can do this, then the probation officer may recommend that the court place the child in your custody temporarily to see if it mediates the situation.

Just be aware, that no matter how much you love this kid, and no matter what you believe your positive role model abilities may be, that you may have a great deal of difficulty remediating the situation.

Be careful what you wish for.