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Gerald Gault In The Juvenile Justice System

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Children get into trouble. It is what they are good at. But what is the extent of that trouble? The juvenile justice system is there so that children who make their way into the law can be treated correctly and appropriately as children and not adults. Many cases have taken place throughout the years to modify these rights of the child in a court of law. One case in particular took place in 1967. This case is in regards to Gerald “Jerry” Gault, a 15 year old boy who was making obscene phone calls to a neighbor as a prank. Why is this case significant? The way it was handled, how the boy was treated, and the rights that came out of this case were all important of how we handle juveniles today. On June 8, 1964, 15 year-old Gerald Gault …show more content…
Gault was a minor. This is a 15 year old boy being taken into the criminal justice system that barely even know what that means. Parents should have been notified at the time of the arrest, Gault had been denied the right to an attorney, he had never been notified of the charges against him, he had not been informed of his right against self-incrimination, and he did not get the chance to confront the accused. This all happened in the Arizona State Court and Gault was still found guilty even after all these errors had been made. He was confined at the State Industrial School (“In Re …show more content…
This is the person who is responsible for the supervision of Morris during his probation period. The lawyer said he could not access social service file so he filed a motion so that the judge could grant him access to the file. He also filed motion to retain jurisdiction over Morris’ case so that Morris can maintain the same treatment and rehabilitation he had already been on the past two years. The lawyer of Morris Kent was preparing to go before the judge and argue his side for the motions but the judge decided to not hold any type of hearing. He did not make any ruling of the motions and no findings of fact. The juvenile court judge ordered that after a full investigation takes place, he will waive jurisdiction over the petitioner and direct that he be held for trial for the alleged offenses under the regular procedure of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (The Right to Counsel for Children in Juvenile Transfer

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