Institutionalization Of Juvenile Delinquents

The juvenile justice system was fashioned in the late 1800s; restructuring policies in the United States concerning adolescent offenders was a part of a progressive era in are history. Thereafter, many modifications designed at both safeguarding the "due process of law" rights of adolescence, and generating an antipathy to jail amongst minor. This dislike has made juvenile justice system more equivalent to the adult structure, a significant change from what it was intended for in the

Did you know, that in the United States alone, Over 200,000 children are charged and imprisoned every year as adults? Early in the 20th century, most states established juvenile courts to rehabilitate and not just punish youthful offenders. The system was designed for children to have a second chance at their lives. “A separate juvenile-justice system, which sought to rehabilitate and not just punish children, was part of a movement by progressives to create a legally defined adolescence through the passage of child-labor and compulsory education laws and the creation of parks and open spaces.”(How to reduce crime Pg 1) Although the view on juveniles committing brutal crimes is nearly inconceivable, it is not a solution to give juveniles adult consequences because the effects of the adult system on juveniles are not effective.

“The juvenile justice system was first created in the late 1800s to reform United States policies on how to handle youth offenders. Since that time, a number of reforms - aimed at both protecting the "due process of law" rights of youth, and creating an aversion toward jail among the young - have made the juvenile justice system more comparable to the adult system, which is a shift from the United States’ original intent (2008,Lawyer Shop.com).” The

Because there was no real separate court or jail for juveniles in the nineteenth century, juveniles were treated on the same level as every other adult justice system allowing them susceptible to the same punishments as adults. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, society changed their views and how they viewed juvenile offenders. During the early years of the juvenile justice system, three major milestones have occurred; the child-saving movement, the concept of parens patriae, and the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. In our modern society, juvenile offenders are now

I have the confidence of my ideals that juveniles can have needing of becoming disciplined on their heinous violent crime, accordingly, if they show the capability to become an adult criminal which is possible. Moreover, I have long accepted that there are juveniles who deserved to the adult sentences due to this circumstance. Not only that, but there was an increase in violent crimes done by youths at a certain time. There are other reasons such as it being efficient to have a second choice for there to be an adult prison when there are kids beyond repair and/or help. Consequently, this generation is quite sophisticated than the previous generations.

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

Over the past several decades more adolescences are being arrested and prosecuted. Not only are more children being put the juvenile justice system younger and younger children are being tried as adults. In more recent years thousand of adolescences are being placed in adult court systems and sentencing them to longer and harsher punishments. Although crime has gone down significantly in America the number of juvenile offenders has increased greatly. Many people in our society today believe that children who commit violent crimes should be tried in the adult court system even though they are under the age of eighteen. Although these children committed crimes such as an adult, this does not mean they are adults and should be sentenced as one.

This paper takes a brief look at the history and evolution of the juvenile justice system in the United States. In recent years there has been an increase of juvenile cases being transferred into the adult court system. This paper will also look at that process and the consequences of that trend.

According to Street Law, a juvenile is any person who is not yet an adult. In most states and the District of Columbia, individuals under 18 years of age are considered juveniles. The District of Columbia along with most states in the United States view any person under the age of 18 that has committed a crime as a juvenile criminal. Acts of a juvenile crime include but are not limited to: truancy, smoking, drinking, theft, rape, murder, defiance towards parents or guardian, etc. A juvenile criminal can only be held in a juvenile institution until the age of 21, no matter how gruesome their offense may have been.

The juvenile justice system acts as a rehabilitation, treatment, and educational facility for delinquent minors. The intention of forming the juvenile court was to keep minors out of adult prisons and thus mitigate their exposure to poor role models and adult criminal activity. Further, the system aims at divert them from increased antisocial behavior thus achieving positive outcomes. However, due to the outcomes in most juvenile cases, such as failure to lower juvenile crime or reduce recidivism, one would argue that the juvenile court has outlived its usefulness.

In the past, children who were apprehended for committing crimes, were tried in the same courts as adults. Furthermore, when the children were found guilty, they were given the same punishments as the adults (Austin, Johnson & Gregoriou, 2000). Today, a separate justice system exists for children who commit crimes. The concept of a distinct justice system and treatment for juveniles has come under attack in recent years because communities across the nation began to experience dramatically increased rates of juvenile crime. The increasing incidence and severity of crimes committed by juveniles led many to question the efficacy of the juvenile court system and to call for a harsher response to juvenile crime. This has led to more juvenile arrests,

To begin with, juvenile is basically jail for underage children. As a child you can do to a juvenile for harming another person, stealing, trespassing, running away from home, stealing a car, and underage drinking

Prior to 1899 when the first juvenile court was stablished children over the age of seven who committed an offense where regarded as adult and if convicted sentenced to adult prisons. The courts contended that juveniles where not mature enough to assume responsibility for their actions and due to their undeveloped personalities, their chances of rehabilitations where higher than that of an adult offender. In the early to mid 1990's juvenile violent crime cases were on the rise. According to the National Crime Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), "About 1 in every 220 persons ages 10 through 17 in the United States was arrested for a Violent Crime Index Offense in 1996" (Snyder, 1996). Consequently, a multitude of states began to implement legislations

By law adolescents are not able to vote, purchase tobacco or alcohol, join the armed forces, or sign a legal contract. Children are not permitted the same rights and responsibilities as adults because the law recognizes their inability to make adult decisions. The law acknowledges that children are unable to handle the consequences that come along with the rights that adults have. By allowing them to be charged as adults is holding them to a double standard. Telling them that they are not old enough to enjoy the same luxuries as adults, but they can experience the same punishment as adults if they commit a crime. The law acknowledged the inability of children to make decisions but still allows them to suffer the same consequences as adults. Research demonstrates that transferring children from juvenile court to adult court does not decrease recidivism, and in fact actually increases crime. Instead of the child learning their mistake they are more likely to repeat it. Juvenile detention centers have programs that help reconstruct young minds and help them realize where they went wrong. Prison does not offer this same opportunity. (Estudillo, Mary Onelia)

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.