The Consequences Of The Juvenile Justice System

In the United States of America today when a person has been committed of a crime they are trialed through a system to conclude if they are guilty as well as determine their best fit punishment of due to the crime. From what most people know when an adult is put through this process they have the right to a quick and speedy trial with a jury to determine if they are guilty and they are given their punishment. However, within our system the process of punishment and sentencing is significantly different if the defendant of the crime is under the age of 18, if they are under 18 they are legally considered a child and are not put through the same system and punishment with which adult are. They are but through what we call a juvenile court 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).

These children have not had a chance to experience true life. In recent studies it shows that more than 20% of children serving life without parole were sentence because they were convicted of being an accomplice liability, which means that they weren’t the primary person of that crime, and possibly not present at the time of the murder or crime. California, Florida, Michigan, and Louisiana have the majority of children serving life

It has been one hundred years since the creation of the juvenile court in the United States. The court and the juvenile justice system has made some positive changes in the lives of millions of young people lives over the course or those years, within the last thirteen years there has been some daunting challenges in the system.

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

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 10,000 juveniles are confined in adult prisons and jails rather than in juvenile facilities that were built for them. Josh Rovner reports in his article “Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview” that 2,100 child offenders are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole before the age of 18. In 26 states, a life without parole sentence is mandatory for first degree murder – regardless of age. Juveniles housed in adult prisons face a disturbing number of dangers such as physical as well as sexual abuse, assault, and high rates of suicide. While juveniles should be held accountable for their actions, they should not be prosecuted as adults because they are incapable of exercising the same judgement and maturity as an adult, housing them in adult facilities leaves them vulnerable to their surroundings, limits their educational growth and giving out a harsh sentence will not rehabilitate them nor deter other juvenile crime.

Did you know, that in the United States alone, Over 200,000 children are charged and imprisoned every year as adults? Early in the 20th century, most states established juvenile courts to rehabilitate and not just punish youthful offenders. The system was designed for children to have a second chance at their lives. “A separate juvenile-justice system, which sought to rehabilitate and not just punish children, was part of a movement by progressives to create a legally defined adolescence through the passage of child-labor and compulsory education laws and the creation of parks and open spaces.”(How to reduce crime Pg 1) Although the view on juveniles committing brutal crimes is nearly inconceivable, it is not a solution to give juveniles adult consequences because the effects of the adult system on juveniles are not effective.

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

They may have committed a crime and they should be punished but not as an adult being sentenced to life in prison without parole. Kids’ brains are not fully developed. There is an article by Paul Thompson, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” that says there is “massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years,” and “... brain cells and connections are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking, and self control.” With that being said, kids’ brains are not the same as adults. Adults’ brain have developed way more than a kid’s brain.

Criminals are on foot everyday around the United States and other parts of the world. Whether they are young children, adults, seniors, or any kind of human being, crimes are committed everyday by people who look like a bad influence or others that look innocent walking down the streets who have never committed a crime before. Juveniles ages 7-15 should not be sentenced to life without parole for crimes they commit because it would not be fair for them to spend the rest of their lives in jail for committing a mistake. Reasons can be found on why juveniles should be left inside a cell and arguments can build up if people disagree with one another. Some adults commit crimes and are left with freedom after a satisfied amount of time locked up. Young teenagers can still be immature and do not have the mind to think like a regular human being. Young people also do not know what is wrong or right to do since they are not of legal age. Some teenagers are also not fully educated yet for they might have grown up without parents to yell at them to lead them through the right path. Most juveniles are barely in middle school and have not really learned anything about the real outside life yet. Juveniles that are sentenced for a reasonable amount of time can also be rehabilitated once they are out of prison so they can be leaded to the right path again without having to be locked up. Many young men are in rehabilitation centers because they disobey their parents or because they are drug

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.

Many would say children who commit harsh crimes deserve to be punished, and the punishment should fit the crime. On one hand, support groups for juveniles argue it is unconditional for a children to spend the rest of their live in jail because their mind are not fully matured and they do not have a clear understanding of the crime committed and punishment that follows. On the other hand, these children killed and most hide from their crimes as it was never committed. Many of these children that were sentences to life in jail face a hearing rather than a trail, psychological casework is done to determine the state of mind of the child at the time of the crime, before and after. The child’s life is in

Kids are basically being sentenced to die in a prison cell. They are not allowing them to the possibility of parole. In the article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” by Gail Garinger she states, “...”tough on crime” rhetoric life some states to enact laws making it easier to impose life without parole sentences on adults. The unintended consequences of these laws was that children as young as 13 and 14 who were charged as adults became subject to life without parole sentences… The children were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope” (Garinger 93). How are developing juvenile criminals ever going to learn that what they did was wrong is they are now allowed access to proper resources? Many just want them to be punished, but they don’t care to help them learn. These kids have been traumatized by their own actions. Punishing juvenile delinquents does not necessarily mean that they will learn from their actions and transform into a productive member of society, especially if we the people are not providing several resources where they can seek

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).

The future of the juvenile justice system is uncertain. There is a struggle to try a find a way to serve the needs of the juvenile delinquents and issue them a punishment for violating the law. In order to improve the direction of the juvenile justice system, recommendations are needed regarding community involvement, law enforcement, courts, corrections, and the private sector. These recommendations address issues that the system is currently facing and offers solutions for the future. A justification of the system is also offered based on the histories, trends and causation theories.