Juvenile Offenders And The United States

There have been many studies conducted that examine ways in which the juvenile justice system responds to female offenders. Historically juvenile female offenders have been treated under status offense jurisdiction (Zahn et al., 2010, p. 10). United States Courts would exercise the principle of “parens patriae” to place the female in detention as a form of punishment for misbehavior (Sherman, 2012, pp. 1589-1590). This principle also remains prevalent as it pertains to how the juvenile justice system currently responds to juvenile female offenders.

Over 1/3 of the 11,000 index crime arrests were juveniles under the age of 16.

Imagine witnessing your parents’ brutal murder right in front of you. Your father is forced to his knees and shoot in the back of his head, execution-style. Your mother’s teeth lie on the floor from the bullet propelled through the side of her head. The fiend proceeds to move forward and shoot her brains out. For Carroll, this was a reality. Robert Acuna barbarically murdered James and Joyce Carroll. What do you think this savage deserves? In America, adolescents can be tried as adults at ages as young as 10. They can be sent to an adult prison with adult cellmates, trapped in an adult environment that they just are not ready for. The prison environment is very influential and may change adolescents for the worse. Exposure to adult criminals

If judges and prosecutors didn’t care to learn how adult prisons affect juveniles, our juvenile crime rates would be very different than they are today. If juveniles were tried and put into adult prisons, we would be creating more criminals rather than trying to prevent them. According to U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, they said “If the point of juvenile courts is to deter and rehabilitate juveniles so that they can succeed as adults, then it is important to evaluate the success of that mission when a juvenile is charged as an adult in the criminal justice system” (Scialabba). Some judges and prosecutors believe putting juveniles in adult prisons will deter them from delinquency rather than the

These individual rights must be effectively balanced against these present and emerging community concerns: Widespread drug abuse among youth The threat of juvenile crime Urban gang violence High-technology, computer, and Internet crime (cybercrime) Terrorism and narcoterrorism Occupational and whitecollar crime

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.

In the criminal justice world, juvenile offenders are of particular concern. In 2014 alone it is estimated that over one million juveniles were arrested in America (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). According to the National Institute of Justice, juveniles who begin a life of delinquency early are more likely to continue that trend into adulthood, and that once they enter the adult criminal justice system; they are more likely to become worse in their criminal conduct. While most juveniles are likely to stop delinquency by their early twenties, those who continue are more likely to engage in increasingly violent offenses. Maltreatment of juveniles is also a concern in America. In 2014, an estimated 700,000 children were referred to child welfare agencies across the United States.

As through research one can say that a considerable amount of individuals who were sentenced for crime did not serve prison terms. Probation gives criminals a suspended or a waive through prison sentence and instead they are sent to the probation department for controlled activities in the community. Examples could include; education, work, restitution, therapy. The probation officer will have prepared a presentence investigation or presentence report. The PSI and the PSR gives a brief description of the individual’s criminal and noncriminal profile. These reports basically decide whether probation should be given or not. If probation is recommended a course of activities and restrictions for the probationer would be specified. The circumstances may be rigorous, for example; house arrest, electronic surveillance, curfews, no meetings with former friends. On the other hand, they could also be less stringent, for instance; attending school or a treatment program, not drinking spirits, and making monthly visits to the probation officer. Probation can last for the length of the suspended sentence or in cases involving young offenders, probation terms may range from a few months to two years. (Voigt, 1994 pg

JUVENILE TRANSFER TO ADULT COURTS A Look at the Prototypes for Dangerousness, Sophistication-Maturity, and Amenability to Treatment Through A Legal Lens http://psycnet.apa.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/journals/law/8/4/373.html

The problem with having a not reliable home is that it generates huge numbers of runaways that are easy targets for pimps; such runners engage themselves in sex activities in exchange for food, shelter or even are exploited by known company. In the United States, such victims are citizens, non-citizens, and most of the cases those children are labeled as prostitutes or juvenile delinquents, and the big problem is that they are treated as criminals rather than being identified and treated as trafficking victims. Thus, these victims should be placed on environments where they can receive protective services rather than being treated as criminals and delinquents. I believe that the law should protect those children in an effective way and reinforce

Additionally, The United States, according to Amnesty International, is the only Western democracy that tries children as adults. Another is that most youthful offenders will be physically and/or sexually assaulted within seventy-two hours of admission to adult correctional facilities. Adolescents are not fully developed and are disposed to to poor instinct control; even the most violent juvenile offender can be rehabilitated with proper treatment. The United States has a juvenile justice system that is designed to help youthful offenders, not punish them. “Determining guilty or innocence took second place to the benefit of a child.” (Schmalleger, F. Criminal Justice Today, 2002).

“I used to believe are our future but now I realize that this, sadly isn’t the reality. Through laws that treat kids like adults, the government is throwing away the future of children in this country.” (D. Lee) An estimated 200,000 juveniles are tried as adults. The term juvenile refers to any young person under the age of 18. For most states in the United States, the age of majority is 18. While there are many things that juveniles are unable to do until they reach the age of 18, being charged as an adult for a crime is not amongst those things in some states. Juveniles are not allowed to vote, drink alcohol, or sign a legal contract, yet they can be charged and treated like adults when it comes to them being

subjected to the juvenile justice system, but an alarming number of youths are transferred to

Children have been described as our future, our greatest resource, and our hope for a better tomorrow. For many Americans, though, children invoke fear. They represent violence, a segment of society lacking in self-control and devoid of ethics and morals, and the failure of the family to instill traditional values, top among them being the value of human life and respect for others.

In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the United States Supreme Court determined that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional to juvenile offenders. This decision is agreeable upon because adolescents do not receive the opportunity to reform themselves. As the Court suggests, life in prison violates the Eighth Amendment, which accounts for a ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, juveniles still must be held accountable for their actions and should be sentenced to a fair verdict according to their crime, whether they are an adult or not.