Rate of Juvenile Offenses and the Juvenile Justice System

Placing a juvenile in a detention center early in the court process increases the risk that youths will be found to be delinquent and damage their prospects for future success. A majority of the youths that are placed in these facilities pose little or no threat to the public and essentially do not need to be there. This portion of the juvenile court process is detrimental to the future and mental aspects of a youth’s life. We desperately need to change the way that we handle the juvenile court system because we are only reinforcing the delinquent behavior that these youths have been exposed to. We need to focus on the rehabilitation and prevention efforts for these youths not the punishment aspect and until then (insert a better ending).

When a juvenile commits a crime, it is not considered a crime, however it is considered juvenile delinquency. A massive problem throughout the US is juvenile delinquent acts. Juveniles acting out in a delinquent manner can be caused by many things. However, there is not just one reason why a juvenile may commit these acts. Instead there are many reasons that could lead up to delinquency. In this essay, I will be discussing a few theories as well as ways juveniles may receive treatment.

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

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.

There is much debate over whether or not juveniles should ever be tried as adults. Juveniles are defined as children under the age of 18. In the past, juveniles have been tried in a separate juvenile court because of their age. However, trying juveniles as adults for violent crimes is a trend that is on the rise. Age is supposed to be a deterrent for placing those under 18 on trial and giving them stiffer punishments that are often reserved for adults. Many debate whether or not juveniles really should have less severe punishments or if trying some juveniles as adults will lower juvenile crime rates.

There are many similarities and differences between the adult and juvenile justice systems. Although juvenile crimes have increased in violence and intensity in the last decade, there is still enough difference between the two legal proceedings, and the behaviors themselves, to keep the systems separated. There is room for changes in each structure. However, we cannot treat/punish juvenile offenders the way we do adult offenders, and vice versa. This much we know. So we have to find a way to merge between the two. And, let’s face it; our juveniles are more important to us in the justice system. They are the group at they

Juvenile institutions and programs have changed over time. There are also juvenile programs that necessarily do not punish juvenile’s delinquents but instead help modify their behavior to avoid recidivism. Certain treatments and methods regarding how to deal with these dangerous young offenders were fixed and improved to make these institutions and programs more effective in changing the lives of these young

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.

When thinking of reforming the juvenile justice system one has to think; what can we do to make this better for everyone involve? There are some programs that can be implemented when trying to make a change in the juvenile system. The main thing is getting parents or the guardian more involved in the child’s whereabouts. Secondly the community where the youth will have a place to go and have something more constructive to do to keep them out of trouble. Law enforcement can get involved in giving ride along and having visits to the local jails or prisons from the youth to talk to some of the inmates. Crime in life isn’t racist at all it has a no age limit, no certain gender and no social status for most of those whom decide to partake in a criminal activity. From the beginning juveniles have been an issue with law enforcement, the question has always arisen of whom will take control without cruel and unusual punishment and assist with the rehabilitation and prevention future crime actions.

Juveniles' propensity to display criminal and violent behavior can become rather difficult to control at time due to long-term effects of abuse and neglect. According to Hirschy & Wilkinson (2010), "Criminal and violent behavior, socioemotional difficulties, substance abuse, and alcoholism are just a few of the long-term consequences of abuse and neglect" (p. 116). The ramification of actions should not be based on the concept of an individual's age. Although it may seem that the juveniles are at a disadvantage when tried in adult courts, per se, they should be introduced to the rigid and yet hierarchical structured system. The penalties for committing crimes should not be overlooked in the matters of sentencing young offenders in the adult criminal system which are often proportional to their deeds. The threat of such harsh punishments will discourage the juveniles from committing heinous crimes and thus lower the statistical rates. The impartment of justice and punishment needs to be included in the juvenile philosyphy which is implanted in every juvenile court. Furthermore, the juvenile justice system, rather than being based on the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, should emphasize the punishments which will better help with the protection and safety of the public through the use of a system that responded to deviance activities carried out by juveniles who are maturing into

As they come into contact with the juvenile justice system different, delinquent youths are treated differently in this system. Notably, the jurisdiction of this system and its courts also extends to non-delinquent youths like dependent and neglected youths, and status offenders. However, non-delinquents are not only viewed differently but they are also treated separately from delinquents. In most cases, non-delinquents are regarded as children in need of help and supervision while delinquents are held accountable and punished for their actions. Nonetheless, non-delinquents undergo several similar processes and dispositions like delinquents because of the differing reasons for the intervention of the juvenile justice system.

In the past years the crime rate has increased. Not only in adults but in minors as well. As a society who sees children as our future, our priority is to set this straight. In order to fix these a problems Congress decided to create a policy that was more fair for minors since “crime legislation and policy have become more punitive and have blurred the lines between juvenile and adult justice systems. “(Citation) For petty crimes the number of minors convicted has increased rapidly. It can be found that they shouldn’t be there but they are treated as adults. To this Congress responded with the “Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act”. This act ties in with education due to programs established to not go harsh on children and teach them they are doing wrong, after all they are children. These programs may be “found in a variety of institutional settings, including schools, community-based organizations, religious organizations, mental health settings, and the formal juvenile justice and adult criminal justice systems.” (Citation). This policy was originally presented by the Democratic party, and in the recent reform

“For any crime to occur, there must be the convergence “actus reus” ( The guilty act) and “mens rea” ( The guilty mind) known as criminal intent.” ~ Philip Holloway, CNN. Crime in any situation is tragic, so it is only plausible that those who deal the crime are charged accordingly. Violence is implicated in our minds each and every day, anywhere from video games and tv shows, to our own cellular devices. So it only makes sense in a technological rise that juvenile crime rates would also be on a rise. So shouldn’t they also be charged accordingly? Or is that the loophole in the judicial system? Justice should be served to all who have done wrong under the law, therefore any child or juvenile that knows how to pick up, load a gun and shoot

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