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Juvenile Justice Systems And The Adult Justice System

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It is common knowledge that the juvenile justice system and the regular adult justice system have differing regulations. Juveniles have different trial proceedings and rights than adult offenders because juveniles are minors and are still considered their parent 's or the state’s responsibility. Minors are not seen as able to make important decisions regarding anything, like medical care, so it is logical that they are treated differently from the adults in the criminal justice system, from arrest to punishment. Mrs. Ceressa Haney, who is a Senior Probation and Pretrial Officer in Leon County says that working with juveniles isn’t all that different than working with the adults. Looking from the outside, it seems like being a probation officer would be one of the hardest positions when dealing with any criminal, from juvenile to adult, because they are likely to give you a difficult time. In reality, juvenile courts have not always been around. In the past someone as young as eight years old could be prosecuted as an adult. Though if the person was seven years old or younger they were “incapable of criminal intent.” (Neubauer 445) Eventually at the end of the nineteenth century, the parens patriae doctrine came about. This doctrine states that if the parents are not succeeding in raising their children correctly, the state has the capability and right to step in and intercede. A child constantly breaking laws is definite grounds for the state to step in. This parens patriae

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