Juvenile Delinquency In Vermont

Juvenile delinquency is a controversial topic that this country has been trying to improve on for many years. In the YouTube video “America’s Juvenile Injustice System” Marsha Levick discusses the exact injustices that are occurring in our justice system. She provides examples of those who have gone through the system and did not receive their justice. This video is a Ted Talk done in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was created with the intent to inform its intended audience about how the juvenile justice system came to be and how much further it still needs to go in order to give justice to all the juveniles who go through it.

According to T. Williams at https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/us/us-prison-population.html?_r=0, (2016). “The number of inmates held in state and federal prisons, fell to its lowest level since 2005 dropping by 2.7 percent.” However, while adult crimes seem to be decreasing. The opposite can be said about juvenile related crimes which seem to be increasing. In this paper, I will be providing my reasons as to why I believe juvenile related crimes are going up, as well as talk about two programs that are working to keep at risk youth out of the criminal justice system.

Juvenile delinquency has become a controversial issue within the Criminal Justice system. In the United States, juvenile delinquency refers to disruptive and criminal behavior committed by an individual under the age of 18. In many states, a minor at the age of 16 to 17 ½ can be tried as an adult. Once the individual reaches adulthood, the disruptive and criminal behavior is recognized as a crime. However, the criminal justice system has divided juvenile delinquency into two general types of categories that has brought upon controversial issues of inequality and corruption. Yet, putting young individuals in juvenile detentions facilities seems to open the door for them to commit more crimes in the future. Therefore, under certain circumstances juveniles should be tried as an adult.

In recent years, data has been conducted and studied to examine the increasing difficulties in juvenile delinquencies. Since 2002, a team of researchers conducted a study to examine the statistical outcomes of juveniles partaking in or the ones who have been affected by crime. Data has shown that approximately 1 in 4 students have been tangled into a violent encounter and 1 in 6 have reported carrying a weapon to school (Salas-Wright, Nelson, Vaughn, Gonzalez, & Córdova, 2017). Juvenile delinquency can occur at any place and a large majority of juvenile delinquency begins in school. Juveniles rely greatly on their peers because they are influenced and tend to follow what their peers usually do or say.

The American juvenile justice system is consistently developing to adhere to societal values, just as any individual or system in our surroundings. It is important to note that there is not one but several juvenile justice systems within the United States. Each state has its own set of laws governing their juvenile justice system (National Research Council Institute of Medicine, 2001, p. 155). 1899 was the beginning of a substantial shift in the rights of juveniles. However, with two opposing views of the protection of society and the rehabilitation of youth, several states have battled between adopting policies less stringent on youth and adopting policies like the 1990’s, “Get Tough” depriving youth of the protection of the Justice System (University of Pittsburgh, 2009).

Regardless of what nation an individual resides in, certain issues are universally important. Examples include crime, economics, education, family, healthcare, homelessness, poverty, and many others. The United States is now the world leader in its rate of incarceration. Over the past 25 years, juvenile crime has skyrocketed, with drug crimes, gang violence, school shootings, and other violent acts being regularly featured in the news. During the past 10 years, nearly all 50 states have overhauled their juvenile justice laws, allowing more youths to be tried as adults. However, in addressing crime, there must be an effective balance between deterrence, prevention, and punishment.

Killers, rapists, and other criminals are being released every day, after serving a very short, or easy sentence. Who are these criminals, and what is the reasoning for this type of treatment? These criminals are juveniles who have committed violent crimes. On a daily basis in the juvenile justice system, kids are being tried and being given short sentences, or are even being set free with a penalty as minor as house arrest. Meanwhile, their victims and the victims families, are left to suffer because of the decision of a kid. The belief that a second chance should be given to a youth who commits crimes, is why criminals are walking among us, living as our neighbors, and in many most cases committing additional crimes. Despite the fact that since 1994, the arrest rates for juveniles have plummeted by forty-seven percent, criminal statistics for children of seventeen and below are still extremely high. Juvenile crime statistics report that every year, juvenile courts in the U.S. handle an estimated 1.7 million cases, in which the youth was charged with a delinquency offense, or in other words, approximately 4,600 delinquency cases per day. The major issue with the amount of crime, when it comes to juveniles, has not been dealt with the way that it should be; with further actions being taken, and an increase in strictness in sentences.

In 2007, there were 60,500 youth incarcerated in America. Those numbers made America number one, with the highest incarcerated youth in the world, by five times the amount of the next country! (Mendell, page 1) Media creates a generalized focus on negative behavior, while we need to be encouraging youth’s positive behavior. We have to remember criminals start off as eager children that are ready to learn. They need to be taught positive behaviors. As we look into the court systems we see: so many judges trying to reach justice; we see so many police officers arresting citizens on the streets; and of course, we have the prosecuting attorneys cleaning up the streets, sending criminals to jail. We love the justice system keeping us safe, right? I am going to argue in this paper, first, how negatively effective the legal system is with their punishing methods. Second, I am going to argue that it starts with teaching children positive behaviors. This first starts out with rehabilitation before punishment. Finally, third, I will argue what we need to do to help this major problem. Constantly incarcerating and punishing juvenile offenders is counterproductive.

Since the inception of the juvenile court in 1899, the transfer of an adolescent offender to the adult court was guided by statues throughout the nation that “emphasized reformation in place of retribution” (Schmalleger, 2015, p.547). It was not until the 1990s that the public’s trust in the ability of the juvenile system decreased and it began to demand change to the juvenile justice system due to the concerns about the increase in juvenile crime and the perception that juveniles were becoming more violent, thus leading to the “adultification” of the juvenile criminal justice system. In the 1990s, society’s attitude toward juvenile delinquents became more intolerant developing into this preconceived idea that if a minor can commit serious

Juvenile offending is a concern in society today. Juveniles account for approximately 19% of the population but are responsible for 29% of criminal arrests (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). Crime overall has been found to be decreasing throughout the last two decades. The issue is that the rate in which adult crime is decreasing is significantly greater than the rate in which juvenile crime is decreasing. Since the rate of juvenile crime is so high, juvenile delinquents are seen as predators and many believe they lack morals. The way in which media of today’s society constructs juvenile delinquency impacts the views of a community towards their youth and youth offenders. Media presents an inaccurate image of youth offenders as violent predators (Rhineberger-Dunn, 2013). This inaccurate image significantly promotes the myths that juvenile crime is rising, juveniles commit crimes that are primarily violent, and that juveniles are highly effected by recidivism and continue committing crimes into adulthood (Bohm, & Walker, 2013). It has already been stated though that crime rates have been decreasing over the last two decades so the first myth is refuted. The myth that juveniles primarily commit violent crimes is also very off. In most cases, juveniles are involved in property crimes and although there are some violent crime cases, they are very rare. When these rare violent crimes do occur, youth can be tried in adult court. The

In recent decades, juvenile crime has become somewhat of a controversy due to the young age and immaturity of these criminals. Incidences of juvenile crime skyrocketed in the 1980s and 1990s, and policymakers pushed for laws that sent children as young as thirteen years old to trial, and even made them eligible for prison sentences. The general public has expressed a common desire to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime and find effective legislation to discipline these youths, but there are questions about these methods. What is more effective, incarceration or rehabilitation? Does criminal punishment intimidate more youths away from a life of crime, and would productive rehabilitation efforts influence these youths to becoming more valuable members of society?

Juvenile delinquency has been a problem in the United States ever since it has been able to be documented. From 100 years ago to now, the process of juvenile delinquency has changed dramatically; from the way juveniles are tried, to the way that they are released back into society, so that they do not return back to the justice system (Scott and Steinberg, 2008). Saying this, juveniles tend to

It is a common believe that adolescents require a special system thru which be processed because they are “youth who are in a transitional stage of development…young offenders that are neither innocent children nor mature adults…” (Nelson, 2012). Because juveniles are in a process of constant development sociologically, psychologically and physiologically, the juvenile court system focuses on alternative sentences and the creation of programs that will offer them rehabilitation instead of incarceration. However, in cases of extraordinary circumstances, the juvenile system shifts from looking at rehabilitation as a first choice to accountability and punishment (Read, n.d). All levels of society are collectively involved in delinquency

As stated by Bartol and Bartol “Juvenile delinquency is an imprecise, nebulous, social, clinical, and legal label for a wide variety of law- and norm-violating behavior” (2011, Pg 139). The juvenile delinquency term has come to imply disgrace in today's correctional institution. Our government is up hold to procedures and expected to come with a solution to solving the delinquent problem. An underage offender can be labeled a delinquent for breaking any number of laws, ranging from robbery to running away from home, and especially being involved in school violence. The following situations faced by correction officials when dealing with juvenile delinquents will be examined. Three main areas (child development, punishments, and deterrence

It may seem shocking that America has one of the highest crime rates per capita compared to other similar industrialized nations. Over the years, there have been many discussions and efforts in order to reduce this problem. Perhaps one of the more sensitive issues when discussing crime in America is the problem of juvenile crime. Recently, juveniles make up 3% of all felonies committed each year and 6% of all violent crimes (criminamerica.net). These statistics have troubled politicians for decades as they have worked to find a solution. Starting in 1994 the Clinton administration started putting stricter punishment on juvenile offenders, but it was quickly realized that this harsh punishment may not be the best solution. Various studies and programs put into action have shown that early prevention in a child’s life is much more effective and more cost efficient in reducing crime. Because of these efforts, juvenile crime has reduced 68% since the violent boom of the 1990s. In light of these discoveries, it is important for states to focus on these results in order to reduce crime.