The Current Juvenile Justice System

Studies suggest that there is a divide between the government and public response to juvenile incarceration. Bullis & Yovas (2005) state that support is given to correctional facilities to house juvenile offenders as a form of punishment (as cited in Shannon, 2013, p. 17). Individuals who support this perspective are often more likely to support the construction of more prisons and stern penalties on crime based upon the presumptions that youthful offenders are aware of the consequences of their actions (Drakeford, 2002 as cited in Shannon, 2013, p. 17). On the other hand, opponents of this perspective believe that incarceration creates an opportunity to rehabilitate the offenders (Huffine, 2006 as cited in Shannon, 2013, p. 18). This perspective supports the purpose of juvenile detention centers as “preparatory in nature – that is, offering services focused on the development of skills needed to return successfully to mainstream

Comment on the increased punitiveness in juvenile justice. When is it appropriate to have cases involving murder or rape be heard in juvenile courts, and when should they be heard in adult court? Please be specific.

he juvenile justice system has to deal with juveniles committing violations against civil and criminal law in their community. When compare to the adult criminal justice system, they are more harsher to the offenders than the juvenile justice system. I believe the juvenile justice systems should be more like the adult criminal justice system to a certain extent. It all depends what kind of crime was committed and if the juvenile had the intention of committing the crime. Of course if it's not a serious crime, I think parens patriae could be great for juveniles in need of support. There has been many philosophical differences about juvenile offending, and the one many people fall on is the status they are living in. Whether they come from an

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.

The American juvenile justice system is consistently developing to adhere to societal values, just as any individual or system in our surroundings. It is important to note that there is not one but several juvenile justice systems within the United States. Each state has its own set of laws governing their juvenile justice system (National Research Council Institute of Medicine, 2001, p. 155). 1899 was the beginning of a substantial shift in the rights of juveniles. However, with two opposing views of the protection of society and the rehabilitation of youth, several states have battled between adopting policies less stringent on youth and adopting policies like the 1990’s, “Get Tough” depriving youth of the protection of the Justice System (University of Pittsburgh, 2009).

Most people believe that a twelve year old who plans the death of his parents is a “serial killer in the making” (Jenkins). However, a one time offense does not mean that a kid will undoubtedly grow up to become a criminal. People who think like this are of the train of thought that a crime is a crime no matter who commits it, but that should not be the basis on which juveniles are locked up for the rest of their lives. Although it is true that by a certain age youth should should know right from wrong, the cases of maturity vary with individuals. Not only that, but a handful of these kids are brought up in bad environments and act without thinking things through. Paul Thompson’s research of brain development at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the loss of brain tissue during teenage years is massive. Thompson states that “brain cells and connections are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking, and self-control.” The criminal actions of a juvenile are not accidental, but they are not well thought-out or controlled either. Given the opportunity and the right help, these juveniles could

Policies were established to keep young offenders from receiving vast charges, that equal to an adult. The informality of the American judicial system surrounding each of these cases has undergone serious changes within the past five decades. In addition, the juvenile court deals with 1.7 million cases per year. While the government's new found “get tough” program is sustainable, author Terry Maroney of Vanderbilt Law School explains, “Juvenile sentences… shield our youth from the unique dangers of adult facilities and preserve the possibility - however slight it may seem - of rehabilitation”(Maroney). The juvenile system has received multiple views of not being harsh enough to startle young offenders of the severity of their crime.

The juvenile justice system is a complex web of people and agencies that process about billions of funds on a yearly basis. To understand the system requires that you have some sort of baseline knowledge of the trends that have shaped the system’s ability to function and the roles played by the various components of the system. This policy paper provides information on changes in the juvenile justice system and analyzes why the increased prosecution sentences of juveniles in adult court is another failed “get tough “policy and does nothing to focus on the best interest for the juvenile. Before the modern era, it appeared that children who committed crimes received no type of preferential treatment. They were adjudicated, punished, and imprisoned

There are numerous critics of the juvenile justice system, and while most of their denunciations remain the same as those of the justice system at large, an ample portion of their criticisms revolve around the claim that incarcerating young people not only doesn’t work in deterring or rehabilitating them, but makes them worse and leads to adult misconduct. A report noted that youth sent to juvenile prison were 37 times more likely to be arrested as adults (Szalavitz, 2009). Another major problem some cite with the juvenile justice system is that most delinquent offends have some form of mental illness, and that while studies have shown that mental health treatment would be a better alternative, they are simply ignored or incarcerated

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 modern day Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in the U.S. evolved out of fragmented reform movements throughout the country that began in 1800 and continued into the 1900’s, Progressive Era. Out of the many movements that were occurring in various states, two pioneered approaches took place that could easily be considered the roots of the entire JJS. In 1824 in the state of New York, the New York House of Refuge became the nation’s first reformatory for children. For the first time, there was an alternative to placing young offenders within jails and it did not take long for other states to create their own versions to address growing concerns about incarcerated youth (Einstein Law, 2015). Next, Illinois in 1899 changed the way young offenders interacted with the court with the creation of the nation’s first juvenile court. For the first time the focus shifted from that of criminalization and punishment, to one of social support that provided guidance, care, and kept young offenders from almshouses and penitentiaries. In addition, the Illinois Juvenile Court removed the stigma of labels and afforded protections to the young by creating closed proceedings and using terminology such as petitions of delinquency, dispositions and adjunctions instead of criminal charges, sentences and trials to (Long, 1999). Once the idea of a formalized JJS took hold in the country very little changed until the U.S. Supreme court and Federal Government pass laws that regulated the entire

Trends in juvenile justice from the punitive laws enacted by the 1990’s are now being changed. The article stated it was a bipartisan effort to change policies to align sound fiscal responsibility, community safety and better outcomes for youth(Brown, 2015). Some of the new changes will Address racial and ethnic disparities in justice systems, respond more effectively to the mental health needs of young offenders and Improve reentry and aftercare programs for youth(Brown, 2015). I feel if we can work with adolescent while they're young and get them on the right track, it gives them a better chance at doing better.

In recent discussions of the juvenile justice system, a controversial issue surrounding it is whether they should charge juveniles adult time for committing adult like crime. On one hand, some argue that if you can walk or talk properly, and you are in the right state of mind, then you can stop yourself from going through with the crime you are about to commit. On the other hand, however, others argue that young children have not fully developed their awareness skills yet, they follow through without realizing what they just did. My own view is that if you commit an adult crime, you should do the adult time. I maintain that young offenders should be tried as an adult, if an adult like crime is committed.

The Juvenile Justice System is the system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system interferes in delinquent behavior through police, court and correctional involvement. Youth and their parents or guardians can face a variety of consequences which includes probation, community service, youth court, youth incarceration, and alternative schooling. The juvenile justice system is similar to the adult system, operates from a belief that intervening initial in delinquent behavior will discourage teenagers from engaging in criminal behavior as adults. Furthermore, according to Elizabeth S. Barnert, statistic which stated that about 2 million juveniles were arrested and over 60 000 detained annually. The statistic displayed that the United States incarcerates a larger amount of youths than other industrialized countries. In addition, 1 to 3 incarcerated adolescents represent a high-risk, defenseless population with disproportionately high rates of unmet physical, developmental, social, and mental health needs, and higher mortality. Moving forward, 4 to 7 juvenile offending forecasts a higher likelihood of chronic adult offending, as well as adverse adult outcomes such as poor health, substance use, and increased mortality. Nevertheless, African American youths are approximately 5 times more likely, while Latino and American Indian adolescents are 3 times more likely, to be detained than their White counterparts. Also, 3

Over the course of ten years or more, several youth offenders have been arrested and placed in the penitentiary with adult inmates. With that in mind, this is a huge problem within our criminal justice system today. Many states have implemented a plan to protect our juveniles who are maturing into adulthood through their juvenile justice systems, but their strategies have not been effective at all. However, juveniles who commits crimes are very different from adults who have committed crimes. For instance, juveniles should be placed in a different category when they violate a law(s) within our criminal justice system, not because they should be less responsible for their wrongful doing, but because they have a greater capacity for change compared to the adults who have committed crimes. In addition, juvenile’s brains are still in the development stages and they need adult’s protection and guidance to safeguard the rights to prevent injustice.