Juvenile Delinquency

History and Evolution In the early nineteenth century juveniles were treated the same as adults when it came to the legal system. We did not have separate courts or jails for juveniles and they would often receive the same punishments as adults that had committed crimes. “At the beginning of the

Juvenile Justice has been a work in progress from the beginning of the program because of the evolving mentality of the generations. The purpose of Juvenile Justice was to correct the behavior of the juvenile delinquents and rehabilitation through a probationary period monitored by an individual who paid for bail and periodically reported behavior changes to courts. (Mulligan 2009) We do justice to the youth offenders by understanding the history of Juvenile Justice restorative programs, the alternatives to incarceration, and how to help them amend their actions and behavior.

Aizer, Anna & Doyle Jr., Joseph J. (2013). Juvenile incarceration, human capital and future crime: evidence from randomly-assigned judges. National Bureau of Economic Research The authors conducted a retrospective study using data gathered from Chicago Public Schools, Court of Cook County and the Illinois Department of Corrections. Their aim was to

In the UK you are considered a child until you reach the age Before that children had very few rights and were not considered different, indeed they were treated as young adults as soon as they could fend for themselves. Before this time infanticide (infant death) was not unheard of and there was no graduated system for education, you could expect to find children ranging from ages 10-20 in the same classroom and behaviour was unruly and sometimes violent.

Through reading and research, it has become clear that incarceration does more harm than good for the those in the justice system. By being incarcerated, the inmate is being separated from family members, becomes socially distant from society, and has the influence of violent offenders. To house the inmate in a correctional center costs simnifically more than to treat the offender through probation. It is our God given duty to hold those accountable for their actions while providing them the tools and treatments needed to become who God intended them to be (Fischer 2016).

Introduction: Juvenile delinquency is an ever growing issue in the United States, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “In 2012, there were 3,941 arrests for every 100,000 youths ages 10 through 17 in the United States” (OJJDP, 2014). The way juveniles are treated in the criminal justice system is very different than the way adults are. In 1899, in Cook County, Illinois, the first juvenile justice system in the country was founded. This established an alternative way of dealing with offenders whom are inherently different, in the way they think and commit crimes, than those of adult age. There are a few distinct differences between the juvenile and adult criminal system, but the biggest difference is the

Juvenile delinquents experience family aggression and violence frequently which can lead to psychological issues of antisocial behavior. Violence within the home is the leading cause of injury to women with the shocking statistics of between 2 million and 4 million women are being battered in their homes yearly. This results

A number of research studies have established a positive correlation between family-oriented practices and lowering juvenile recidivism. Practices such as community involvement, training, mentoring, etc show mixed results. There is also a varying degree in the techniques employed in conducting the studies.

Characteristically, juvenile delinquency follows a similar path just like normal adolescent development and children tend to follow delinquent and criminal behavior rather than engaging in it randomly. Research has shown that there are two types of delinquents, those in whom the onset of severe antisocial behavior begins in early childhood, and those in whom this onset coincides with entry into adolescence. With either type, these developmental paths give families, communities, and systems the opportunity to intervene and prevent the onset of antisocial behaviors and justice system involvement (APA, 2017).

During colonial times, children were perceived as “property of the parents,” hence, parents were allowed to “classify their children as stubborn and seek state punishment, including capital punishment” (Hinton, Sims, Adams, & West, 2007). The critical issue that arose from that belief was that children were no longer viewed as small and innocent instead they were judged as adults.

Juvenile delinquency is a social issue in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, is when “a violation of the law is committed by a juvenile and is not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Juvenile Delinquency). The juvenile system is different from the adult system in many way and most juvenile delinquents are from the age of ten to the age of seventeen (Juvenile Delinquent). Once the delinquent or anyone is at the age of eighteen, they are considered to be an adult. Therefore, in the justice system they are tried as an adult. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, peer influence, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. Teens are greatly influenced by the interactions and surroundings they are around. Their behaviors can result from the parent and/or their peer influences. Parents play a great role in the child’s life and a teen’s peers also play a strong role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not insight. This research will examine links between the social environment of teens and how it influences the teens actions and behavior which leads them to commit an offense.

Juvenile Delinquency is the participation of illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. A delinquent is a minor who commits a crime or a status offense. A status offense is conduct that is illegal only because the child is under age i.e. smoking cigarettes (Senna 10, 20). The cases of Eric Smith, Lionel Tate, and an unidentified NJ child are similar only because, they are guilty of killing another child, but the Criminal Justice System treated and punished them very differently. In August 1993 in Savona, New York 13 year old Eric Smith killed 4 year old Derrick Robie. Smith lured Robie into the woods and strangled, beat with large rocks, and sodomized Robie. Smith was questioned by police and kept changing some

What is considered a juvenile delinquent? Criminal courts would say that a juvenile delinquent is a child that is between the ages of 7 to 14 years of age. Nowadays, 14-year-old children can be charged with certain crimes that may be handled like adults. Today, many states determine that a child is considered to be a juvenile until the age of 18; however, in some states they set limits at 16 and 17 years-of-age. Under the age of 18, many offenses are considered juvenile delinquency. We see that crimes that are committed by juveniles have increased with violent crimes, drug crimes, gangs, and many more. With this in mind, some may argue to charge the juvenile as an adult based on the seriousness of the crime. These delinquent acts are considered to be crimes that may be committed by adults or even

Delinquency can be defined as a youth person who has committed a crime or violated probation; others define a delinquent in terms of their actions, such as “immoral or vicious persons” (Bartollas & Schmalleger, 2013, p.8). Children are no longer considered a youth offender from ages 16-18 years old, persons under 18 years old are charged with a law violation then considered to be juveniles (Bartollas, 2013, p.8).

When deciding how juveniles should be treated or punished for their crimes, depends on the individual and the severity of the crime they commit. The term juvenile is classified as anyone who commits a crime that is generally between the ages of 7 and 17. There are many critics that argue different ways and ideas on how to handle juveniles and whether or not their age should affect their consequences. Some view that juveniles should be treated more for rehabilitation rather than punishing them. The supporters that believe in rehabilitation for juveniles have come up with ideas like boot camps and detention facilities. Then there are some critics that believe that juveniles should just be punished for their actions and take responsibility