The juvenile justice system is similar to the criminal justice system. This system is where juveniles are processed, and may be arrested after referrals for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile justice is very different in every state and can be very similar as well because every system has limited jurisdiction and that most focus is on the offenders and not their offenses. Therefore, there are 51 juvenile justice systems in the United States. The United States has the juvenile justice system because children are very different than adults – in that they can be better receptive for change and also are easier to rehabilitate. Moreover, the main goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation (Juvenile Law Center). The juvenile justice …show more content…
In this case you can see that most of those are considered status offenses; which are offenses that are considered criminal acts in juvenile court but not the same of adult court. Moving on, very few of the violent cases are heard in juvenile court; which may include robbery, rape, or murder. (juv. Court: an overview)… A juvenile court case has procedures also, and are very different than those done in adult court. Like what I said in the last paper how police have a lot of discretionary power, well so does everyone else who the juvenile associates with in the juvenile justice system. Those include the prosecutors, the juvenile court intake officials, and the judges. These discretionary powers can lead to informal or formal decisions in regarding to the delinquent. Therefore, a lot of offenders never make it the formal disposition hearing. Another difference or procedure that is done in juvenile court and not in criminal court is the difference of constitutional rights of juveniles. Yes, juveniles have the right to an attorney, but in most states, that do not have the right to a jury trial. Juvenile cases can be transferred to adult court for more violent offenses, but those juveniles have the right to see if their case should be transferred over to criminal court. (juv. Court: an overview). As it is stated before, discretion in the court system can be bad or informal; however, discretion help by the juvenile justice system can be very helpful to the juvenile
In reviewing the reading assignment, I do think the U.S. Juvenile Justice System serves the purpose for serious felonies. According to an article, the juvenile justice system also provides ways to help with skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs as well as a way to successful reintegration of youth into the community (Youth.gov., n.d.) When a crime is committed, there should be consequences of his or her actions, however I do not think jail is always the answer, especially for the ones that are not adults. I think he or she should be mental evaluate to determine his or her mental state and then put into a rehabilitation program. Bentham was a theorist that believed and followed utilitarian principles, which
One area discussed is the drastic difference between the maturity level of an adult and a juvenile brain. According to The Handbook of Defiance, “Recent research on brain development supports these assertions, with that part of the brain responsible for the regulation of behavior not being fully developed until the mid-twenties. (The handbook of defiance, 311).” With this information about the minors brain being underdeveloped, the court system recognizes they should not be held to the same standards that adults are held to. Another difference that defines the consequences for minors is status offences. A status offense is a crime committed by a person not considered an adult. If an adult did the same act, it would not be an illegal act (ie. smoking cigarettes.) According to The Handbook of Defiance, “Until the early 1970s, status offenders were sometimes subject to severe sanction, including institutional confinement. The law now places limitations on the sanctions that can be given to status offenders; a few states have decriminalized status offences, although the police arrest tens of thousands of juveniles for status offences each year, and some are confined.” (The handbook of defiance, 312). These offences involve running away from home, alcohol use, truancy, certain sexual acts, and several others. The impulsive acts are other examples that the minor
The American juvenile justice system had developed over the past century with a number of variables that makes it different from the adult criminal justice process. Juvenile justice advocates supports the differences on the youthful offenders. Juvenile crime policy over the course of the twentieth century talks about transferring the law’s conceptions of young offenders. Starting from the nineteenth century, many of the youths were tried and punished as adults. However, treatment of juveniles in the United States started to change. Reformers created a way where juveniles can be housed in special facilities. Their mission was to protect juvenile offenders by separating them from adults. Juvenile justice system focuses primarily on rehabilitation and help youths avoid a future of crime. Since then there have been many milestones and historical evolutions that can make juvenile justice an effective system.
The juvenile law in America’s system was created on the premise that due to young people’s immaturity, the crimes they have committed should be handled in a different manner from those ascribed to adults. The young people were mostly under the age of eighteen. The key basis was to address the cause of their misdemeanors and to ultimately restore their responsible membership within the community (Bernard, 2012). Juvenile courts date back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In the United States, juvenile courts vary in structure and organization, but all serve the common goal of rehabilitating young people.
The juvenile justice system is in place to ensure the protection of minors who are 18 years of age and younger. The juvenile justice system is where minors go to court who have committed criminal acts. A juvenile code is sanctioned through juvenile law. This code is overseen by the state law. The juvenile justice system uses rehabilitation as a goal in order to help these juveniles instead of simply punishing them for their crimes ("juvenile justice: an overview," 2015).
One may argue that if juveniles are to commit an adult crime, they should be punished as an adult. Defensively, there are many reasons why they are mistaken. The juvenile justice system has the right to keep an adjudicated delinquent imprisoned until their 21st birthday. This punishment is just for those in juvenile prisons. “It is certainly long enough to serve the needs of public protection, and enough time to rehabilitate a child. Indeed, studies routinely show that in these cases, the juvenile justice system protects the public better than the criminal justice system” (Schwartz). Likewise, the opposing side may also believe a juvenile who commits a felony should be punished as an adult. This statement is wrong juveniles brains are not fully
The reliability of the juvenile court has been questioned by many states in that it may not actually have a true benefit. Although the juvenile court was founded under the principle that offenders are too underdeveloped to be tried and treated as a real criminal, the current judicial system of punishment is ineffective and insufficient in responding to
While adult cases are held in adult criminal court, with offenders being tried by a jury of their peers, juvenile cases are referred to as adjudication hearings and do not involve a jury. Prior to a trial, an adult offender may be placed on bail. A youthful offender has a special hearing in order to determine if they will be allowed to remain with parents or an adult guardian outside of a detention center.
The Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to handle youth who are convicted of criminal offenses. It is just over 100 years old. Over time it has gone through several changes and its unlikely to disappear anytime soon. We as Americans are still trying to find different ways to approach juvenile justice vs. approaching it as adult justice.
The “Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis” paper will compare juvenile courts with adult courts. This paper will present an overview of the juvenile justice system, a point-by-point comparison between juvenile and adult courts. The adjudication process by which a juvenile is transferred to the adult court system. This paper will also discuss the implications of the following for youthful offenders: The trend of increasing the use of waivers, and the trend of remanding juveniles to adult court for processing. The last topic addressed in this paper will be the societal implications
Teen courts (also called Youth Courts) are a growing type of diversion program that utilize a therapeutic approach, with over 1,050 teen youth courts currently operating in the United States. They are designed to promote restorative justice, encouraging the youth to restore the damages his or her behaviors caused to the community (Chantoe & Manton, 2014).
Juvenile justice can be a difficult area for law enforcement. This is said because unlike adult offenders in the criminal justice system, the juvenile justice is about reform rather than incarceration. The thought process behind juvenile justice is to help these children to become better adults, not only for their community, but also for their workforce as well. There are some rules when handling delinquents. A great example would be an adult who has a public intoxication and has to spend a night in jail. Although, if a juvenile is caught doing the same thing he is to be taken home to his parents, or legal guardian. Also, the way a trial operates is also different. During a trial in adult court, it becomes a formal matter and can be subjected to a trial by jury. Whereas the trial in juvenile court is informal, and under no circumstances, can the defendant be tried in front of a jury. Lastly, the title of the judge is different in a juvenile case and is called a referee.
About 100 years ago the Juvenile Justice system was formed in the United States. It used to be that children as young as seven years old, who were accused of an offense, were imprisoned with adults. It was not until the nineteenth century that the suggestion of reforming youth offenders took place. In 1824, in New York, the first juvenile house of reform, also known as the House of Refuge, opened. During 1899, Cook County in the state of Illinois established the first juvenile court and within 30 years, all of the states had established juvenile courts. Juvenile Justice is a term that pertains to the laws and procedures that concern criminal offenders who
This information is very accurate. Even though the data information is from the 1990’s the information is still accurate until this day. Teenagers are still doing delinquent things. The only difference is there are more preventions/interventions in today’s society. The juvenile justice system has improved way more by having more resources for the kids and ways to help
A Juvenile Justice System encompasses legislation, norms, standards, guidelines, policies, procedures, mechanisms, provisions, institutions and bodies specifically applicable to children in conflict with the law who are over the age of criminal responsibility.