What Is The Strength Of The Juvenile Justice System

I believe that the justice system should not be harder on youths because we are all too young and naive and might not really know what’s right and wrong. Also, many youth usually get peer pressured into doing wrong things and we can’t really blame them for that. Besides, if the crime is big enough, youth are taken to juvy which is a less serious version of jail. I believe that juvy gives youth criminals a chance to learn about what’s right and wrong and that is all they need. Furthermore, some youth can be given an adult sentence for some very serious crimes.

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.

There are times juveniles should not be convicted as adults because sometimes the “crimes” may not harsh enough to be charged as an adult. For example, if a 8 year old saw a gun in their mother's purse and thought it was a toy and grabbed it and began to shoot who would be at fault ? Plus children in adult prisons are 10 times more likely to be taken advantage of in their time. Research shows that children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to reoffend than those held in the juvenile justice

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.

I believe the justice system is functioning in the sense of keeping those who are guilty of a crime punished and locked away, but then there are also some faults in the system. At times the justice system will choose a verdict based more on discretion rather than facts or choose to ignore the facts because it believes that there will be a better outcome. When the facts are ignored and the right punishable measurements aren’t practiced, crimes continue to rise and the justice system is believed to be untrustworthy. Juveniles usually rebel when they don’t receive a certain amount of attention in their homes or they suffer a traumatic experience within their immediate family members. Take for example Michael Propst who is only 12 years old and

In America on any give day, approximately ten thousand juveniles are housed in adult prisons and jails. Approximately two hundred thousand juveniles enter the adult criminal justice system each year and most have non-violent crimes. Juveniles in the adult jails lose out on the educational and psychological benefits offered by juvenile detention facilities and

“The juvenile justice system was first created in the late 1800s to reform United States policies on how to handle youth offenders. Since that time, a number of reforms - aimed at both protecting the "due process of law" rights of youth, and creating an aversion toward jail among the young - have made the juvenile justice system more comparable to the adult system, which is a shift from the United States’ original intent (2008,Lawyer Shop.com).” The

Imagine sitting in a courtroom, hoping the the judge will not give a harsh sentence. Unfortunately, that’s the case for many juveniles, some as young as 13! A juvenile is subject to a more severe sentence with the limited sentencing available. It is estimated that 250,000 youth are prosecuted as adults, each year. This number should change, as juveniles are not adults, both mentally and physically. Juveniles need an environment surrounded with guiding adults, education and the resources to help them. A juvenile is not an adult, and should not be tried as one.

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).

By law adolescents are not able to vote, purchase tobacco or alcohol, join the armed forces, or sign a legal contract. Children are not permitted the same rights and responsibilities as adults because the law recognizes their inability to make adult decisions. The law acknowledges that children are unable to handle the consequences that come along with the rights that adults have. By allowing them to be charged as adults is holding them to a double standard. Telling them that they are not old enough to enjoy the same luxuries as adults, but they can experience the same punishment as adults if they commit a crime. The law acknowledged the inability of children to make decisions but still allows them to suffer the same consequences as adults. Research demonstrates that transferring children from juvenile court to adult court does not decrease recidivism, and in fact actually increases crime. Instead of the child learning their mistake they are more likely to repeat it. Juvenile detention centers have programs that help reconstruct young minds and help them realize where they went wrong. Prison does not offer this same opportunity. (Estudillo, Mary Onelia)

Juvenile jail is not beneficial for many reasons one reason is because when teens enter the jail center they are in their teen years with an unfinished education. And when they are out their life is all in a knot and don’t know what to do first. Article “Report: Juvenile justice system schools “do more harm than good” states “ In 2011, 5 percent of California students were able to earn a high school diploma while locked up, compared with 8 percent nationally.’’ My opinion is that doesn’t sound very good you want your child to learn a lesson but still get an education at the same time. To continue the juvenile jail system is not safe. Some kids in the system have problems with their senses

Every justice system of criminal laws will rest on postulates or ethical theories. The adult system and juvenile system share differences and commonalities. For example, the juvenile justice system work toward rehabilitating the youths and not punish the juveniles. Adults and juveniles who admit to guilt have a procedural safeguard system to help protect his or her rights. This also includes hearings, right to appeal, and plea bargains. Juveniles and adults have the right to a counsel in a court proceeding. Due process given to juveniles and adults the same. Juveniles are not offered the right to a jury trial or public trial. Another safeguard is not housing juveniles and adults together, not to just to protect

Over the course of the semester I have developed a new perspective towards the justice system. Prior to taking the Juvenile Delinquency course I did not know much in detail about the negative effects of the juvenile justice system on youths. Personally, I thought the juvenile justice system was created to educate youths in order to prevent them from getting involved in more crimes and to lead them to have better outcomes in the future by giving them resources they may have not been able to attain on their own prior to their convictions. However, in reading books such as, Between Good and Ghetto by Nikki Jones, A Question of Freedom by Dwayne Betts, and Punished by Victor Rios I was able to firsthand understand through

The jury re-enters the courtroom to deliver the verdict in front of hundreds of people. The bailiff receives the verdict and passes it to the judge. The defendant, prosecutor and victim all stand awaiting the verdict. “Not guilty” the defense claps and celebrates with the hundreds of people who have been following the trial from day 1, while the victim and prosecutor gather their things and prepare to leave the courtroom. Unfortunately, this is the scene in many courtrooms across america, people are not being convicted of crimes that the committed. In America today, people of higher social statuses are able to get away with more crimes such as murder, child pornography, rape, and selling drugs due to an unfair trial.

According to the article “Adolescents in Grown-Up Jails”, arresting young people and locking them up with adults in prisons causes more damage to a child than actually helping them become functional citizens in the long run. The article goes on about how “confining young people to adult jails and prisons are both counterproductive and inhumane” (New York Times, 2012). The article states how children whom are locked away “are more likely to be raped, battered or driven to suicide than young people who are handled through the juvenile justice system” ( New York Times, 2012). It is important that juveniles are handled through the juvenile justice system because of its focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment. The juvenile justice system is better suited to lessen the likelihood of abuse, child recidivism and lessen the negative effects associated with being in jail or prison. When young people are locked away in solitary confinement they return home often traumatized and become incapable of becoming a functional citizen (New York Times, 2012). This causes the likelihood to commit or recommit violent crimes and end up back in jail or prison (Beauchamp, 2013). In this case, juveniles should not be a part of the adult criminal justice system, especially solitary confinement for a variety of reasons.