A former Superior Court judge in Alameda County, Paul Seeman served as the vice chair of the California Center for Judicial Education and Research’s Juvenile Law Education Committee. The former chair of the Alameda County Collaborative Juvenile Court, Paul Seeman has a deep knowledge of the juvenile court process, starting from a minor’s arrest.

1. Paul Seeman

2.  A former Superior Court judge in Alameda County, Paul
Seeman served as the vice chair of the California Center for
Judicial Education and Research’s Juvenile Law Education
Committee. The former chair of the Alameda County
Collaborative Juvenile Court, Paul Seeman has a deep
knowledge of the juvenile court process, starting from a
minor’s arrest.
When a minor is arrested in California, the police have
choices, depending on circumstances: record the arrest and
let the child go home; send the child to an agency for shelter,
care, and counseling; give the child and his/her parents a
notice to appear; or put the child in juvenile hall (detention). If
the child is placed in detention, he/she has a right to two
phone calls, one to a parent or guardian, and the other to a
lawyer.

3.  The police can talk to the minor, but before that, they
must inform the individual of his/her Miranda rights: the
right to stay silent, that anything he/she says or does
can be used in court, and the right to a lawyer. If the
child or the parents cannot afford an attorney, the court
will provide one.
The police have an obligation to inform a child’s
parents of their child’s arrest. They have to inform the
parent or guardian where the child is locked up and
what rights the child has. The parent or guardian will
also get a bill for general detention services, like food
and laundry.