...addressed to the programs designed to reintegrate juvenile delinquents into civilized society has focused and spread, and the cause of the Youth has become news. The diversity in the origin of the problem has made a uniform system of rehabilitation a very difficult venture. Being a member of the “troubled youth” begins with a small issue, such as a family problem, mental health disorder, or substance abuse, one that should be addressed before the evolution of the crime, and then the justice system. The division of juvenile and adult court systems is a relatively recent aspect of criminal justice, and has yet to be perfected. The incarceration of children into restrictive, punitive environments expected for overage criminals limits the development of an adolescent, and limits the possibility of divining the roots of the negativity. How can we determine the extent of flexibility that should be allowed? How can the system work to prevent delinquency in youth while working with them? There are several points addressed with heavy intention when it comes to the reorganization of the juvenile justice system. The placement of juveniles within the system is guided by the severity of the criminal act the child is being tried for, with some offending youths sent back into their home space and provided services through community-based programs with little funding and less resources. Others are confined to under staffed and overcrowded juvenile detention facilities, where the atmosphere...
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...Juvenile Justice System There are many aspects that go into the juvenile justice system. Dealing with juveniles is a much more sensitive matter than that with adults. Some of the aspects of the juvenile justice system include the historical development of the system, the predominant philosophy, key differences between the juvenile and adult systems, distinguishing between dependency and delinquency, and the reason behind the importance of confidentiality in juvenile court. After reading the class material and reviewing case laws and legislations, we can have a further understanding of the aforementioned keys. Historically, the juvenile justice system dates back to England in the 1600s. Chancellors were appointed to make decisions, which were in the best interest of the juvenile. In 1839 there was the case of Ex Parte Crouse, which dealt with a father attempting to release his daughter, Mary Anne Crouse, from the Philadelphia House of Refuge. The girl was not given a trial and the courts rejected the father’s claims. The state made decisions on behalf of the child and other states decided to do the same. In the case of Reform Schools and People ex rel. O’Connell v. Turner in 1870, courts were confining juveniles in reform schools. Many children in Illinois were getting put in reform schools for simply loitering or playing in the streets. Many parents began complaining of the unjust rulings. Later on the courts ruled juvenile delinquents would be placed under the...
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... Miya Boston CRJ301: Juvenile Justice Professor Jodi Levit February 27, 2010 Juvenile’s Rights The purpose of the United States juvenile justice system is to protect society more effectively by not just punishing children who commit crimes but attempting to rehabilitate them. The criminal justice system is here for us so that criminals are taken off the streets and to protect and keep us citizens safe as best as they can. Although it may seem hard to keep the nation safe, take criminals off the streets, as well as keep in mind that we all have rights, but that is what the criminal justice system is all about. Juveniles have rights at their time of arrest, as well as special adults, but juvenile’s right differing from adults. These rights include all of the Constitutional rights in the form of a Miranda warning (Wallace, & Roberson, 2008). In this essay, you will learn the rights of a juvenile during his or her arrests as well as the difference between a juvenile arrest and an adult arrest. Similar to adult offenders, juveniles have a right to know and understand why they are being arrested, the right to be silent, and the right to an attorney (Wallace, & Roberson, 2008). The laws of arrest that apply to adult offenders also apply to juveniles but with a little more simulations. Police officers know to temporarily detain juveniles to issue citations or criminal charges investigative purposes. Juveniles that are in any danger, meaning...
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...Juvenile Justice Process and Corrections Cheryl Cooper CJA/374 July 8, 2014 University of Phoenix Juvenile Justice Process and Corrections Case Study A youth on parole in Louisiana, Mychal Bell, 17, was ordered back to prison for 18 months following numerous parole violations. He had been placed on probation on four previous occasions for violent incidents. Bell was a former member of the “Jena 6,” a group of six black teens who had beaten a white student, Justin Barker, in December 2006. The incident was a culmination of a fight between blacks and whites. Various religious leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton, called Bell’s re-imprisonment “revenge” by the judge and called upon the governor, Kathleen Bianco, to intervene (Champion, D. J., 2010). Brief Corrections Plan Mychal Bell will be ordered back to prison for 18 months for parole violations. Upon his release, he will be required to attend and complete an Anger Management class. The extra 18 months complete the original sentence, so any new crimes committed by Mr. Bell will bring new charges. Mr. Bell will be an adult upon release, so no communication is necessary with Child Protective Services or school. Juvenile Justice Process in Ohio Juveniles’ first encounter with the juvenile justice process is usually his or her arrest by a law enforcement official. Other ways that youth enter the system include "referrals" by parents and schools, delinquency victims, and probation officers. A decision is usually...
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...Juvenile Justice Systems Strengths and Limitations Leteia Smith Professor’s Name Institution affiliated Course name Date Juvenile Justice Systems Strengths and Limitations Juvenile justice system was created as an alternative of dealing with the youthful offenders in a way that would aim at correcting them rather than seem like punishing them to feel ashamed of their behavior. Most of the changes that were done to the correctional institutions on the youths were aimed at avoiding stigma that was believed to cause more criminality rather than reducing it. The system was an American invention but was later replicated around the world. Although the system was supposed to bring more safety to the youths, it seems to have flaws in its approach. The system dismisses the concept that young offenders may have a strong will to commit crimes (Schmalleger, 2012). They instead contend that the problems that are faced by the young people tend to make them unsettled. Therefore in order to help them, there is no need of punishing them. The best way to help them is to try and solve the internal problems that may be thought to exist in them. The juvenile court system has completely detached itself from the adult court system. The juvenile crime trend began to change in the period around 1980’s and mid 1990’s. The trend of juvenile delinquents has continued to escalate...
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...The juvenile justice system and parents across America struggle on a day-to-day basis with their children and substance abuse. It is stated that four out of every five children arrested within the system are under the influence of a substance (alcohol or drugs) when committing the crimes that forced them to be detained and arrested (Alcoholism.about.com, 2010). It is reported within the textbook that seventy-three percent of high school seniors had used alcohol within the past year, which makes the possibility of teenagers entering the juvenile justice system even higher (Siegel & Welsh, 2009). It is also believed that we as a society, does not provide the adequate support to those youth that are using controlled substances; which could in turn result in a more positive outcome, versus a decline in their behavior from initial arrest (Alcholism.about.com, 2010). This is a very true statement because in 2009, the SAMSHA reported that 374,000 citizens were treated for substance abuse between the ages of eighteen to twenty-four; that does not include the amount of individuals who did not seek help and those that were even younger. It also does not tell the story about how many of those individuals started using controlled substances at an earlier age as a juvenile (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, n.d.). According to Joseph Califano, Jr., we are writing of the younger Americans by releasing them back into society without attending to their substance...
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...Juvenile Crime Statistics Crystal Rick Juvenile Justice June 16, 2014 Debra Nadeau Juvenile crimes are unfortunate, but they do happen in the United States. The uniform crime report or UCR is compiled by the FBI. The FBI uses information sent from local police departments. Local police departments compile information based on crimes that are committed in their area, and about the individual that was arrested. The UCR are done yearly and compared to other years. This information is used to track the changes and the recurrences in crimes that are committed. The information is used to help police departments deal with crimes that are committed by a specific group of people. Juveniles are often looked at to attempt to lower the crimes committed by juvenile offenders. Using the report can allow the police to track trends in crimes committed by juveniles. By looking at the report every year the police can see the areas that have higher crimes. They can see if there is rise in males or females committing crimes. They can find treads in the changes of crimes committed by a certain race. This report can help them to better understand what changes to make and what is effective. If the police implement a plan to lower the juvenile crime rate, and the report shows that it is consistently working it can be implemented in other areas to lower rates in other areas. According to Puzzanchera (2009) “In 2008, law enforcement agencies in the United States made an estimated...
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...The article Abolish the Juvenile Court: Youthfulness, Criminal Responsibility and Sentencing Policy by Barry Fields is power packed with his research, his opinions on the Juvenile Justice System. There is no question why he has reached the conclusions that he has because his research backs him. One of the points that he makes is that the criminal justice system for juveniles is more like a social welfare agency than a punitive system. What Mr. Barry Fields feels is that there should be one court for juveniles and adults. He made some interesting points when he stated that because legislative amendments has changed the court’s atmosphere and now instead of justice being served by the juveniles for the crimes that they commit the court employs a more scientific and psychological approach for these juveniles. Mr. Fields submits that to provide shorter sentencing for the juvenile offender does not need a different court system. What there should be is one court for the juvenile as well as the adult. The judge should be well versed with the law of the state that they are presiding or sitting and should have the ability to reign over both. Again there should be no separate courts. It was in the nineteenth century that they had the formation to juvenile court reform. Then crime was not at an all-time high as it is now. They made the provisions to have a separate system so that they could address the needs of the individuals. This is when they became more social then punitive...
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...Juvenile Justice Persuasive Essay The juvenile justice system is a foundation in society that is granted certain powers and responsibilities. It faces several different tasks, among the most important is maintaining order and preserving constitutional rights. When a juvenile is arrested and charged with committing a crime there are many different factors that will come in to play during the course of his arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing, and rehabilitation process. This paper examines on why juveniles should be sentenced to life when they commit heinous crimes. The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot sentence a juvenile to life in prison due to the fact that it violates the 8 Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. But let’s take Lionel Tate as an example; at the age of twelve savagely beat to death a six-year-old girl, would the court release this ‘kid’ to society knowing what his background is? When he was put on trial at the age of fourteen and convicted as an adult of first-degree murder, he was supposedly imitating a world wrestling federation wrestler, which ended up killing his playmate. There is no reason for doing this is common sense and I do not agree on scientist saying that a teenager’s brain is not full developed; it is just a stupid conclusion. If that were to be the case at this point there would be a mass of teenagers in maximum security jails and sentenced to life in there. There have been kids that have attended college at the age of 14...
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...Living in a small community one does not expect to see gang activity. You say to yourself not here, this is not a city with a large population nor is there easy access to guns, drugs, poverty, etc. some of the conditions to bring gang activity into the area. A youth gang is ‘”commonly known as a self-formed association of peers having the following characteristics: three or more members ,aged 12-24, a gang name and some sense of identity ,generally indicated by symbols such as clothing style, graffiti and hand signs, so degree of permanence and organization, and an elevated level of involvement in delinquent and/or criminal activity”. (http://www.ncvc.org/) Youth gangs even though considered uniquely American they also are in other countries as well. Gangs have been around for a long time, “In England in the 1600’s London was terrorized by organized gangs that called themselves the “Hectors”” Bugles”, “Dead Boys,” and other colorful names Even today, with the mention of the word gang one begins to see images of black jacket youths roaming the city streets bearing such names as the Latin Kings, MS-13, bloods, crips just to name a few of the many that are around,” (Siegel) Unfortunately, the growing with increase of Broadway shows, books, films and other media it has glorified being in a gang as well as popularized it as well. You ask yourself the questions why do these gangs exist and why do our children join them so easily? The answers to these questions I found...
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...Many people stress the importance of reforming the juvenile justice system to increase its effectiveness and avoid discrimination. People argue about early intervention in juvenile delinquency, and advocates for the development of programs that are more centered on rehabilitation rather than punishment. In my opinion, rehabilitation is a slap on the wrist for minors, and they need to reap the consequences. Because learning the hard way sends a message to minors that what they’re doing is wrong and not acceptable. In my life, I’ve never had any major offenses but I have grown up around people that have. I believe that the way youre brought up has a huge roll in whether you take the right or wrong path. Much of the criticism about the American juvenile justice system revolves around its effectiveness in rehabilitating juvenile delinquents Research on juvenile incarceration and prosecution indicates that criminal activity is influenced by positive and negative life transitions regarding the completion of education, entering the workforce, and marrying and beginning families. ]According to certain developmental theories, adolescents who are involved in the court system are more likely to experience disruption in their life transitions, leading them to engage in delinquent behavior as adults. Although a lot of adolescents made mistakes In their path like anyone, their mistakes being more serious are often times discriminated in the eyes of their fellow peers, teachers, and in the eyes...
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... Humans are born as blank canvases, with no personal bias and no preconceptions, just instincts. Free to grow and add things to your canvas. Teens come to life pure as snow, our parents are our first mentors and teachers of life. They influence most of our actions growing up. Some have to face the harsh reality of a brutal life early due to the lack of shielding from parents, slowly our canvases are tainted into dark colors. The life of those unfortunate teens mold them, every aspect of them. Without realizing malice is being nurtured in the darkest corner of their thoughts, inevitably teens like this that go on without help will likely turn to crimes. Some of these teens commit horrendous crimes and the question is, what should the justice system do? Some individuals will suggest treating them as adults since they were aware of their crime but is that the right punishment? Should society just disregard humanity and lock these teens up for the good of everyone else? While I believe teens that commit heinous crimes should be punished I also strongly believe their age should be put into account when deciding their punishment. Teens although they’re aware of their actions are still lacking growth in their brain. “Frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout teenage years.”(Thompson, Paul 7). The study that Thompson’s research group conducted gives some insights as to what happens to the brain during...
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...University of Phoenix CJA/374 Mr. Ladet March 28, 2013 The issue of juvenile crimes has been of great concern to many people in the American society. Despite putting in place various programs to see that crime rates among juveniles are reduced, many juvenile courts and recreational centers have reported increased cases of dealing with juvenile delinquency. It thus leaves one wondering if the programs that are in place to control and deal with the juvenile delinquency cases are the ones failing or if it’s the society that has failed completely to give the required direction to the youths. There are many cases that have been reported as the main causes of juvenile delinquency. The major causes being attributed to the environment the child is raised. It has been a tradition that juvenile delinquencies are locked up in juvenile prisons as a way of recreating them. However, it has turned out that by locking up the kids, instead of achieving the best results of a rehabilitated child, the results are usually worse than putting in place programs that are family and community based. Therefore, instead of the program of locking up children rehabilitating them, it leads to increased recidivism (Virginia Youth Violence Project, School of Education, University of Virginia, n.d). It is thus important that for juvenile agencies to focus their efforts in using evidence- based practices that have been reported to reduce juvenile delinquency. Such programs ensure that the children are safe,...
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...models/eras of the Juvenile Justice System and which model to you agree with and why? The Juvenile Justice System has been marked by many shifts in thinking concerning how to treat juveniles. Before the twentieth century, Juveniles were considered property and were treated the same as adults in the criminal justice system. The move away from viewing children just as property to viewing them as those in need of protection happened during Europe’s Renaissance period. The Industrial Revolution brought early child labor laws and programs designed to alleviate the ill of urbanization are precursors to the juvenile justice system of today. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century the concept of rehabilitation began in puritan America. In 1823, houses of refuge were created to take in all children who were neglected, abused, or delinquent. The concepts of parens patriae and in loco parentis served as the foundation for interventions such as houses of refuge. Into the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a call for reform led to the creation of the juvenile justice system in the United States by the child savers. The early Juvenile Justice system was founded on the belief that the state could and should as in loco parentis under parens patriae. In the late nineteenth century the juvenile justice system’s purpose was to determine cause, diagnose illness, and prescribe treatment. The Juvenile Justice system became part of the United States legal system with the passage of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act...
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...Juvenile Justice CRJ 301 David MacKusick January 17, 2011 Juvenile Justice The juvenile justice system is much different from the adults, or at least that was the original intent. This paper is going to outline juvenile delinquency, discuss the strategies, the juvenile process and the intervention programs we can use to stop juvenile delinquency in the future. The Cook County Juvenile Court was established in 1899 on an informal basis. The parens patriae doctrine, which permitted the court to take charge of children in need. Children were not adults and should not be treated as such their problems could be discovered and treated; therefore, the courts develop a different system. This was not actual courtroom, it was a table and chairs where the judge could sit with the parents and discuss the matter at hand. Children could be brought to the court based on complaints. These hearings were not public and the records were kept confidential because the children were not considered criminal. Lawyers were not required and the same rules that applied in adult court were missing in juvenile court (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). This system was so attractive that most states adopted the same system. The criminal justice system is definitely a complex one and there is no exception when it comes to juveniles. The juvenile justice system however is based on the philosophy that children need to be protected and corrected, not necessarily punished. These are children...
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