Juvenile Justice System Is Not The Punishment Of The Criminals

Restorative Justice will not make the basic prejudices on our society worse than what they are, however restorative justice should restore synchronization within the community or society as a whole through based on discussion of the offender’s underlying problems and not to reoffend against the victim in particular nor any member of society, and what charges the offender may face if he re-offends “Restorative justice is deliberative justice; it is about people deliberating over the consequences of crimes, and how to deal with them and prevent their recurrence” (Braithwaite, 1998, p. 438).

The Juvenile Justice System was established in 1899 when the first documented court hearing took place in Cook County, Illinois. This type of court system was designed to discipline, treat, and rehabilitate children under the legal age of eighteen, who are caught and/or convicted of committing crimes against society. Since its creation, many have argued for and against having two separate but parallel court systems. This essay will discuss the basic arguments in favor of and in opposition to the retention of the juvenile justice system.

Restorative justice is a style of discipline found within the criminal justice system that focuses on the rehabilitation of juvenile and adult offenders through reconciliation with victims and society at large (Richards 2009). Practices and programs that reflect restorative purposes will respond to crime by identifying harm and pain caused, taking steps to mitigate damage, and finally repairing the harm caused. Restorative justice encompasses all

There are many cases that show that just by punishing offenders, doesn’t teach them the lesson. Restorative justice is a different approach to dealing with criminal justice. Restorative justice focuses on the needs of offenders and victims and their families. Rather than just punishment,

Restorative justice is a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. Understanding the definition may be really hard to understand, however when we put it in a different form that many can understand it comes down to repair, encounter and transformation. Our book describes restorative justice in three parts as accountability, community protection and competency development (Sieh, 2006).

“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

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.

Justice has been served once the offender has endured the punishment. Retributive justice advocates claimed that the victims' rights are basically vindicated through the legitimate framework in court. It can give a feeling of emotional settlement and the remaking of the victims dignity. This is possible on the grounds that the state has recognized their abuse and enduring. Reconciliation and restoration are impractical without productive approaches to cope with retributive feelings. Retributive justice is offender focused and state ruled, restorative justice treats victims, offenders and the community as impartial participants. It tries to mend the harm caused by criminal conduct and to reestablish each of the three parties. Both restorative and retributive justice are important components for majority rules system and the administer of law to be acknowledged when an individual abuses the rules. Restorative justice started as a more victim and community oriented response to the traditional state-commanded and offender arranged criminal justice response to crime (Sullivan & Tifft,

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).

“Restorative justice is a process whereby parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future” (Munchie, 2004).

Restorative Justice is an alternative to the traditional system. Even though restorative justice will never replace the traditional system, it has a balanced focus on the person harmed, the person causing the harm and the affected community, rather than just the crime through the eyes of the law. Restorative Justice is always voluntary for the victims, and the offenders have to be willing to cooperate and they have to want to do this. Restorative Justice is a forward-looking, preventive way of understanding crime in its social context. (Dr. Tom Cavanagh; Garder Emily)

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

The perception by many involved in the justice system in general, and youth justice in particular, is that the present model of punitive retributive justice, often involving incarceration does not work. Indeed, it may be compounding an already huge social problem. This realisation has lead many to look for alternative systems. At present there is a considerable momentum building that advocates the use of a restorative justice model. Marshall has defined restorative justice as a process whereby parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of

There has been a strong oppositional difference and contrast between restorative justice and criminal justice in Chicago dating around four decades ago (Braithwaite, John Bradford). Consequently, this contrast seems to have become a permanent fixture providing two alternative systems under the same justice umbrella. Up until recently, criminal justice has been canonized in the judicial system, but with recent developments in academic works in juvenile justice and criminology, restorative justice, especially in juvenile violations, has shown great significance and positive outcomes. Even though some states might argue that restorative justice favors the proprietor of a crime rather than the victim, the state of Chicago should consider the inevitable change from the old system of criminal justice that focuses on punitive measures especially for juvenile violations. This is because restorative justice provides a greater satisfaction to the victims, drastically reduces the frequency of repeat offenses, and ensures accountability to the victims. However, we cannot potentially consider restorative justice without the relation to the traditional criminal justice. This is because the restorative justice is based upon principles of the traditional criminal justice that preceded it.