Age Ranges in Juvenile Courts
How does the wide range of ages in juveniles present unique challenges within the juvenile courts? Due to the variety of ages that appear in juvenile court, many challenges become apparent. Not only is the juvenile delinquent a challenge, the way the legal system handles them, offers their own set of trials.
When asked the question, should all juveniles be treated equally within the juvenile court system or not, the answer is no. A child at the age of five who discovers his/her parents gun, who shoots and kills a neighbor will not have the same understanding or culpability than a child age 15. In each case, depending on the age and crime committed a judge must determine the appropriate course of action.
The courts experience many challenges that include determining whether a child who commits a heinous crime should be sentenced in a manner that reflects their actions or based on their ability for rehabilitation. Children have the capacity to commit terrible acts of violence, and when they do the question posed is if they should be punished based on their actions or based on their ability to rehabilitate. The judges also look to see what’s in the best interest of the child (Chambliss, 2005), especially regarding their age. The age of the juvenile in question places tremendous weight on the judge as they want what is
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The training offered allows judges to be able to meet the needs of the individual in the best way possible. There is a variety of adolescents that appear in juvenile court, a broad range of ages, demographics, personal development complications. The judge must be able to make well education decisions, by utilizing that they learned in training sand real life experiences, to better the juvenile in the long
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that eating meat and other animal derived products like cheese, milk, and yogurt is harmful to us and our planet.
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur MIller in 1959. This play is a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in 1962-1963. Lies and Deceit appears to be the Universal or main theme in this play. Abigail and the girls lies are the main reason why the Salem witch trials take place.
It has been one hundred years since the creation of the juvenile court in the United States. The court and the juvenile justice system has made some positive changes in the lives of millions of young people lives over the course or those years, within the last thirteen years there has been some daunting challenges in the system.
By becoming a youth court trainee, you are making a commitment to attend every session and complete the entire training process. All youth court members are expected to behave in a courteous, respectful and professional manner. Being prepared and participation are key to being a successful Youth Court member. All members of the youth court are to treat all youth court cases seriously and maturely. Youth Court’s way of thinking allows the opportunity to help other young people, while giving back to our community and being a positive role model. Youth Court is a program where teens are questioned, represented and sanctioned by their peers. But, it is not like a regular court that determines whether a young person is guilty of committing a specific offense.
Age by itself is a bad indicator of whether youths have reached an adult level of knowledge of the legal process. Juveniles have various types of thinking and emotional disabilities; thus, it takes them longer to reach their adult-like potential. Also, many courts and many people believe that youths that have been repeatedly arrested and exposed to court trials have a better understanding of legal matters. Current research does not support this. Some juveniles will definitely learn from these experiences and may even become advanced in the understanding of the trial process; others will learn nothing at all. Therefore, just because a youthful offender is a repeated one, it does not mean that he/she will understand the trial process and his or
According to Caldwell (1961) the juvenile justice system is based on the principle that youth are developmentally and fundamentally different from adults. According to Mack (1909) the focus of the juvenile justice system has shifted from “was the crime committed” to “why did the child commit the crime”, “how can we help the child”. When performing as it is designed and up to the initial intentions, the juvenile court balances rehabilitation (treatment) of the offender with suitable sanctions when necessary such as incarceration. According to Griffin (2008) in some cases juveniles may be required to be “transferred” to adult court. In this paper I am going to discuss the three primary mechanisms of waiver to adult court: judicial waiver
With the escalation of murders and rapes committed by minors as seen in recent years the people are looking for the right answer. Public concern over the effectiveness of the juvenile courts when dealing with these offenders has brought about change in the justice system. (Stolba, 2001). The courts now, are quicker to transfer a juveniles’ case to adult court than when the juvenile system was first formed. There stands a conflict of interests within the two court systems. Juvenile courts are to protect the rights of youths determined incapable of adult decisions. The primary concern is that the youth be rehabilitated and not become a repeat offender. Thus, protecting the child from incarceration with adult criminals and any possible future victims. The concerns of the adult court is to make sure the convicted offender pays for their crime and that the victim gets justice. Rehabilitation is not a primary concer of the adult justice system.
This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system and how it has come to be what it is today. When a juvenile offender commits a crime and is sentenced to jail or reform school, the offender goes to a separate jail or reforming place than an adult. It hasn’t always been this way. Until the early 1800’s juveniles were tried just like everyone else. Today, that is not the case. This paper will explain the reforms that have taken place within the criminal justice system that developed the juvenile justice system.
“In 2008, police arrested an estimated 2.1 million persons under the age of 18. The majority of these juveniles (67%) were referred to juvenile court jurisdiction. The police used discretion to handle and release a portion (22%) of these youths” (Lopez 2016). That means that 273,000 juveniles were prosecuted and punished as adults, some even receiving life in prison. This begs the question should juveniles, regardless of offense, be tried as adults?
As more minors are committing violent crimes, the question of whether they should be tried as adults has arisen. Children as young as 13 or 14 are committing violent crimes such as murder, rape, and armed robbery. Some of these children are being tried as adults while others are being tried as juveniles and receiving milder punishments. A juvenile offender may receive a few years in a juvenile detention facility and possibly probation following his release at age eighteen. An adult committing the same violent crime will receive a much harsher penalty, often years in jail, possibly a life sentence, with little or no chance of parole. The only difference between the two offenders is the age at which they committed the crime. Juveniles over
A person’s mind is developing from the start of their life all the way up to when they are in their twenties. Yet the criminal justice system thinks, or thought, it was right for kids to be treated the same as adults when it came to committing serious felonies. A fifthteen year old can spend life in prison for killing someone alongside an adult
As a contrast, there are many differences between the adult and juvenile justice system. These differences consist of the right to a jury, the right to post bail, leniency of evidence, different court proceedings, the right to a public trial, and rehabilitation efforts. As for the purpose of this paper, we will dissect the differences of the two systems. Many appeals have been filed under the notion that a right to a jury should be upheld for juvenile offenders. The courts have voted against this action time and time again. These appeals are made on the assumption that, as noted earlier, adult crimes should be tried as adult crimes. However, the court rules on this matter while keeping the rehabilitation efforts of the juvenile courts in mind, as opposed to the more punitive measures. Their desire to see kids treated as kids are defined with their upholding of the law, and pushing rehabilitation to its max. But should rehabilitation be the prime focus when the act is of adult capacity; even in a child’s body? I do not think so. What are the percentages of rehabilitation success with adults for committed capital offenses? How are they going to differ when a child partakes in them? I think there is a
Although based on the adult criminal justice system, the juvenile justice process works differently. Juveniles can end up in court by way of arrest, truancy or for curfew violations or running away. A youth may also be referred to the juvenile court system by school officials or a parent or guardian for being continuously disobedient. The juvenile justice process involves several different steps including intake, detention, adjudication, disposition and aftercare following release from a juvenile correctional facility. In this paper we will breakdown the numerous steps involved in the juvenile justice process as well as compared some
The juvenile justice system is a foundation in society that is granted certain powers and responsibilities. It faces several different tasks, among the most important is maintaining order and preserving constitutional rights. When a juvenile is arrested and charged with committing a crime there are many different factors that will come in to play during the course of his arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, and rehabilitation process. This paper examines the Juvenile Justice System’s court process in the State of New Jersey and the State of California.
In today's society juveniles are being tried in adult courts, given the death penalty, and sent to prison. Should fourteen-year olds accused of murder or rape automatically be tried as adults? Should six-teen year olds and seven-teen year olds tried in adult courts be forced to serve time in adult prisons, where they are more likely to be sexually assaulted and to become repeat offenders. How much discretion should a judge have in deciding the fate of a juvenile accused of a crime - serious, violent, or otherwise? The juvenile crime rate that was so alarming a few years ago has begun to fall - juvenile felony arrest rates in California have declined by more than forty percent in the last twenty years. While