Teen Court

By becoming a youth court trainee, you are making a commitment to attend every session and complete the entire training process. All youth court members are expected to behave in a courteous, respectful and professional manner. Being prepared and participation are key to being a successful Youth Court member. All members of the youth court are to treat all youth court cases seriously and maturely. Youth Court’s way of thinking allows the opportunity to help other young people, while giving back to our community and being a positive role model. Youth Court is a program where teens are questioned, represented and sanctioned by their peers. But, it is not like a regular court that determines whether a young person is guilty of committing a specific offense.

The Juvenile Drug Court Program is one of the most accelerated outpatient option available to youth who are arrested and have been determined to have substance abuse issues. The parent/guardian and the youth have the option of consulting with the Public Defender’s assigned attorney to explore other legal options before accepting Juvenile Drug Court as part of their verdict. The Juvenile Drug Court provides services to juveniles who are thirteen to eighteen year of age and

Today’s juvenile court system handles most cases involving those under the age of 18-year-old. This was not always the case and the ideal of a separate court system for adults and children is only about 100 years old. When looking at the differences that set juvenile courts apart, it is important to study the history and see how it developed over time.

Drugs are not the only thing that can send a juvenile to court, alcohol charges can as well. Another important aspect is to ensure that these teens stay clean. If they don't they can end up with detention sentences, home incarceration, or possibly moved into the adult court system. Using one example of how drug courts work is from King County, Washington. Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen is over the juvenile drug court in King County. "Twenty-five teenagers appear before her every Thursday in the 4-month-old drug court. All of the youths referred to the court have been either charged with a drug or alcohol offense, or they are accused of committing property crimes while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Juveniles charged with violent or sex-related offenses are excluded. Participating teenagers must attend weekly court hearings, complete court-ordered treatment, attend school, participate in individual, group and family counseling, and undergo

Approximately two million adolescents a year are arrested and out of that two million, 60,000 of them are incarcerated according to the American Journal of Public Health. The 60,000 incarcerated adolescents each year are being tried as adults in court because of the serious crimes they have committed. The crimes they have committed are anything from armed robbery to murder. Some juveniles might be first time offenders and others might be repeat offenders. Crimes have always been a major issue in the United States and can cause controversy in the criminal justice system. Charging a minor as an adult in criminal court varies from state to state based on each state’s jurisdiction. Some states consider anyone up to the age of 18 still a juvenile and would not be charged as an adult in criminal court, but other states may charge a juvenile as an adult at the age of 16 or 17. Jordan (2014) states, “Although states already had methods for transferring youth to the adult system, as a result of the growing fear of juvenile violence, most states implemented new laws to increase the number of youth entering the adult criminal system’ (Bernard & Kurlychek, 2010; Torbet et al., 1996)” (p. 315). While it sounds beneficial to incarcerate more adolescents in the adult criminal justice system to avoid juveniles from committing crimes in the future, that is not always the case. Incarcerating these juveniles can be life changing in a negative

In 1986, the City of Arlington and the Boys and Girls Club of Arlington established the Arlington Teen Court. It works in conjunction with the Arlington Municipal Court and is considered a specialized court for youth. The program was designed to prevent teens between the ages of 14 to 18, from developing a pattern of committing crimes. It aimed to reduce teen offenses, allow teens to be held accountable for their actions, and to educate teens on the justice system.

The court process, probation and corrections will be affected as the need for alternative punishments will be necessary, however the main purpose will remain the same with a system wide focus on rehabilitation. A specialized juvenile court is best suited for deciding the fate and needs of juvenile offenders. The court will need to provide a sanction for the rehabilitation programs that best address the juvenile’s issues in lieu of or in tandem with the punishment that matches the crime. Juvenile probation will require ramping up as the case load will drastically increase as probation would be a necessary punishment to fulfill the need for victim justice.

Today, the juvenile system primary goals are crime reduction and rehabilitation. The juvenile officials must assess whether youthful offenders are likely to commit crimes in the future and whether they can benefit from interventions. If these kids cannot benefit, then they will most like end up a delinquent. In most states delinquency is defined as the commission of a criminal act by a child who was under the age of 18 at that time (Virginia Rules). Most states allow youth to remain under the supervision of the juvenile court until the age of 21, but this depends on the type of crime that was committed. There has been many times where a juvenile case was transferred to an adult criminal court. This would have to be done thru a process called a waiver. A waiver is when a judge waives the protections that the juvenile court provides (Larry J. Siegel). Cases that

Harrison, P., Maupin, J., & Mays, G. (2001). Teen court: An examination of processes and outcomes. Crime & Delinquency, 47(2),

The adult court system does not have the resources to work with and rehabilitate youth (Seep, 2015). According to recent studies, teens sent through the adult court system are 5 times more likely to commit another crime after leaving jail compared to a teen sent through the juvenile court system (Brown, 2015). This is because the juvenile court system has resources to help teens learn from their mistakes and not make them again. As a society, we should want our teens to become educated and help make our society better. While the goal of the adult court system is to deter the convicted prisoner from committing another crime, the juvenile court system’s goal is to rehabilitate the youth and help them successfully integrate back into society (Seep,

So the youth can learn that the crime is serious and should not be committed again or their will be consequences

In addition, think about how they will be affected if tried as an adult and convicted. Let us remember, the United States has the Juvenile Justice System, which is solely for juvenile delinquents. This is supposed to protect them from receiving longer sentences, and harsh punishments, which is the opposite of adult courts. Also, the Juvenile Justice System is supposed to help rehabilitate the juvenile. Luckily, for juveniles, the “court had recognized that even homicide does not warrant a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if the offender is less than 18 years old at the time of the crime” (Holt p.1395). However, in “Nevada, Mississippi, and Utah, lawmakers now leave it up to the juvenile courts to decide whether to transfer a juvenile to adult court” (Brown p. 21). Unfortunately, juveniles sent to adult prison suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally. With that

The Juvenile court and the adult criminal court system are very different. They have different punishments as well as different goals for the people who are there. The primary goal for juvenile court is to get the kids to be rehabilitated. Rehabilitation is when you change and become a better person, being rehabilitated means your record will be erased, therefore you can get jobs when

Although based on the adult criminal justice system, the juvenile justice process works differently. Juveniles can end up in court by way of arrest, truancy or for curfew violations or running away. A youth may also be referred to the juvenile court system by school officials or a parent or guardian for being continuously disobedient. The juvenile justice process involves several different steps including intake, detention, adjudication, disposition and aftercare following release from a juvenile correctional facility. In this paper we will breakdown the numerous steps involved in the juvenile justice process as well as compared some

The nation’s first juvenile court was established in 1899 as a part of the Juvenile Court Act. It was founded on three principles: juveniles are not ready to be held accountable for their actions, are not yet fully developed, and can rehabilitate easier than adults. In all but three states, anyone charged with committing a criminal act before his or her eighteenth birthday is considered a juvenile offender. Now more than ever, states and countries have begun to question the reliability of the juvenile court. Some believe the juvenile court system should be abolished because of its insufficient gain to the community. Others believe children are not fully capable to understand the degree of their actions and the consequences that come from them and believe that juvenile courts are a necessity in the court system.