Juvenile Justice System

Juveniles are being treated as adults when it comes to crimes, and are receiving higher sentences than adults. Furthermore, juveniles do not fully understand the consequences of their actions. Juvenile’s brains are not fully developed and experience loss in gray matter. According to the article Startling Find on Teenage Brains by Paul Thompson, he states, “gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all of our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period” (Thompson). Gray matter makes up of people’s critical thinking and awareness. Juveniles are losing gray matter and are therefore forgetting the consequences of their actions. In addition, juveniles are coddled way too much by their parents and grow up without any discipline. Why is it that juveniles are segregated from adults in society in every aspect except when it comes to crimes? Juveniles do not deserve to be tried as adults when they commit heinous crimes because it is not constitutionally correct and

Today 's concept of the juvenile justice system is relatively new due to significant modifications in policy overtime. The justice system has been trying to figure out effective ways to treat juvenile criminal offenders successfully for years. The justice system did not always have a special category for juveniles and their crime. Juveniles was once treated as adults when they committed crimes and were subjected to harsh punishments. "The juvenile court was the culmination of efforts of the positivist criminologists and Progressive activists. It was designed to address the individual needs of delinquent children, provide care and rehabilitation, and ensure that they could go on to live lawful, productive lives. The Illinois legislature

Juveniles committing crimes is not a new issued being introduced to society; actually, it has been an issue for centuries. However, the big question is, should juveniles be tried in adult courts? Before answering, take into consideration every possible scenario that could have led them to commit the crime. For instance, were they the leader in the act? Did they participate in the crime? Was the juvenile even aware of what was taking place? Were they peer pressured? Did they have any other choice at the time? There are so many other questions we could consider when making a decision here.

he juvenile justice system has to deal with juveniles committing violations against civil and criminal law in their community. When compare to the adult criminal justice system, they are more harsher to the offenders than the juvenile justice system. I believe the juvenile justice systems should be more like the adult criminal justice system to a certain extent. It all depends what kind of crime was committed and if the juvenile had the intention of committing the crime. Of course if it's not a serious crime, I think parens patriae could be great for juveniles in need of support. There has been many philosophical differences about juvenile offending, and the one many people fall on is the status they are living in. Whether they come from an

Many of those who are in favor of prosecuting juveniles as adults believe that the juvenile justice system is too relaxed. Therefore, they believe that juvenile offenders don’t recognize the seriousness of their crime. But should the punishment

As adolescents, we have all made mistakes, some big some small but it never crossed our minds that one of these mistakes could change our lives forever. In this day in age, it's ludicrous to hear youth suspects receive harsh sentencing; being forced to go to an adult jail or prison, or in rare cases getting put on death row. “The practice of charging young people as adults gained momentum in America in the 1990s, as youth crime spiked” ("Children in Adult Jails"). Some argue that these pre-teens and/or teens should receive harsh sentencing regardless of their age because they were old enough to know right from wrong. Others believe juveniles should be tried as adults in certain circumstances, depending on the crime and its severity. On the other hand, many people believe youth offenders should receive a higher juvenile sentence as opposed to an adult sentence. This

The juvenile victim justice system is divided into the criminal justice system and the child protection system. Although its two different system, they work together to ensure the victims safety. The criminal justice system focuses on the crime itself whereas the child protection system focus on helping the child. After the initial report, a screening is done to see if there is enough information. If there is enough information, the investigation then starts. Child protective service will notify the police if there is any problem. The child might be taken for medical examination and mental health evaluation. To ensure the safety of the child, the investigators can take them into custody. Then the court will decide who to give the parental rights

terrorism as one might expect to think. No today, we live in fear from our own

Millions of juveniles are processed through the juvenile court system, and the number has been growing for years. Judges and court officials have been looking for many ways to come up with alternatives to incarceration. There are several different alternatives to incarceration for juveniles currently that will be discussed. Incarceration has an impact on the society as well, even for those who have not been in trouble with the law before which is one of the reasons why alternatives have been evolved. Tensions between the established principals and the proposed methods determined the way in which early incarceration alternatives were introduced into legislation.

The first juvenile court in the United States was established in Chicago in 1899. The first juvenile court in the state of Georgia was in Fulton County in 1911, now there is one in every county. Juvenile courts in Georgia are controlled by a 1971 law known as the juvenile code. The philosophy of the juvenile courts is to protective of the child rather than punitive. The court must do what is best for the interest of the child while considering the best interest of society.

When it comes to California’s juvenile detention system it seems that there are many ironies involved within the system. Although these systems have become a permanent part of California’s justice system, the harsh reality is that juvenile detention may be doing more harm than good. Ironically the carelessness of the policies and operations have turned troubled youths into failed adults. Failure of the system is a result of poor funding to both state and private institutions, poor reform efforts, and overcrowding.

Juvenile justice has traditionally followed a punitive model when faced with young transgressors. Most juvenile justice departments have then also followed this model, creating a system that is in effect not only separate from the community, but also from the family unit. Many juvenile offenders are then physically removed both from their communities and their families to be incarcerated into punitive institutions. According to the Balanced and Restorative Justice model, however, accountability is best encouraged with the direct involvement of both the community and the family unit (U.S. Dept. of Justice). This is also the case with young John Black, whose offense was possession of a fire arm, although this did not lead to any actual harm to others. He is therefore an excellent candidate for family- and community-based programs, helping him to learn accountability and find his place in society in an effective and productive way.

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 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 being easier to rehabilitate. Moreover, the main goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation (Juvenile Law Center). The juvenile justice system is made up of police, courts, corrections, probation and parole services, as well as community-based programs to name a few (book).

In Society, many are concerned about the high percentage of crimes that are committed, we tend to turn immediately to our youth thinking that if we somehow manage to keep youth under control we will deter crimes. As discuss in chapter 9 and the OJJPD reports, the juvenile justice system had determined that by waiving and transferring minors who commit crimes to criminal courts to be tried and punished like an adult, there would be a decrease on violent crimes. On the other hand, there are many intake alternatives and diversion programs that can be considered instead of crowding up the criminal courts with juveniles delinquents.

Statistics aside, sentencing a juvenile to adult time is hypocritical and morally objectionable. Recently, Lionel Tate, a 14-year-old Florida teen, was sentenced as an adult to life in prison for a murder he committed when he was 12 years old. Tate, in the eyes of the law, did not have the capacity to vote, to purchase adult products such as cigarettes and alcohol, or even to watch a PG-13 movie alone. Yet that same law claims that Tate had the capacity to fully understand the repercussions of his actions. If Tate had been convicted of shoplifting or another petty crime, prosecutors would have laughed at any suggestion of treating him as an adult. Does the nature of the crime itself, then, dictate the evaluation of a juvenile's mental capacity? Such aggressive and misguided prosecutions are in direct response to public anger toward the defendant, not necessarily motivated by what is in the best interests of justice. The inconsistency and hypocrisy in the treatment of juvenile offenders is unacceptable.