...Juvenile delinquency has steadily increased over the years and does not look to be decreasing any time soon unless measures are taken. Juveniles are usually convicted and sentenced in juvenile court but some cases have also been tried in adult court. Status offenses are also controversial topics that need further research before any conclusions are drawn on them being an actual violation of the law. There are also a number of different variables and characteristics of each juvenile in detention, and these paint a broader picture of the environment and culture they come from. Juvenile delinquency is also known as juvenile offending or youth crime, which is the participation of juveniles in illegal behavior. A juvenile delinquent is usually a person under the age of 18 who commits an offense that would otherwise have been charged as a crime if they were an adult. It is also possible based upon the type and severity of the crime that an under-18 juvenile delinquent could be charged and tried as an adult. State policies vary as to the age at which a person legally becomes an adult, but if we refer to a juvenile as a person under the age of 18, the figures are shocking and disproportionate. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), reports that nearly 16 percent of all violent crimes and 26 percent of all property crimes are committed by under 18 year olds. What is even more worrying is that this age group only makes up 26 percent of the total population...
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...Juvenile Crime Tracey B. Freeman CJS 200 February 15, 2015 Jeffery Beasley Juvenile Crime The court system is very important and plays a role in how safe our community, state, and country can be. There are different and specials courts but the ones that are mainly divided would have to be juvenile and adult courts. Juvenile courts and adult courts have similarities, but they also have many differences. Although they both have the same principle, they both use different terminology, options, and reserve different constitutional rights. The court system will always treat minors and adults differently and because of this, teenagers or adolescents are offered more of a chance to turn their lives around before they turn down the wrong path too significantly to retract, gain more responsibility (some may have fines to pay that only they are allowed to pay if judge/probation officer demands), and depending on how bad of the situation, they will receive a dose of reality. Juvenile court is made up of three different cases: delinquency, dependency, and status offenses. For delinquency cases, the adolescent who has committed the crime would have been tried as an adult, however since they are a minor, they would use procedures of significant difference. According to Juvenile Justice (2015), since 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court has limited practices such as the execution of offenders who are under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed and life without parole...
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...Juvenile Crime & Violence Seneta Turner Special Issues 02/21/2013 Chris Matthews 2 Abstract In order to have a better understanding of the juvenile crime and violence, we must look at all aspects of sanctions and how the youth facilities are being overcrowded with violent as well as non-violent offenders. There must be a policy set where the two must be housed separately in order for reform programs to work in every aspect of the juvenile court systems as well as corrections. I’m proposing only to get a grant to house these juveniles in a separate facility. 3 Statement of the Problem The rapid growing violence committed by juveniles is at all-time high, Juveniles are now being trialed as adults awaiting to be transferred over to adult prisons when reach the age 18 years old. The problem that exist with the juvenile courts is that a policy must be enforced that allows violent youthful offenders to be housed at a facility that offers more reform programs in order to prepare them for adulthood. According to (www.justicepolicy.org) Most of these youthful offenders are from single parent homes or even foster care. Approximately 93,000 young people are held in juvenile justice facilities across the United States. Seventy percent of these youth are held in state funded post adjudication residential facilities at an average cost of $240.99 per youth. With states facing serious budgetary constraints it is an opportune...
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...Juvenile Crime Jo Ann Macklin CJS/200 June 10, 2012 Sheila Toppin Juvenile Crime When we think of the United States judicial system, and what a good system it is. It is hard to believe at one time in our history, children were treated just as adults were. They would receive the same sentences and were placed in the same jail facilities. Now are juvenile system is not perfect, and need more improvements, but with society, and ever changing crimes, the juvenile system is always hard at work, facing the new challenges and seeking improvements. Juveniles that commit crimes are no longer considered criminals, but instead juvenile delinquents. If the child is of a certain age in some states, or the crime is a violent felony, such as rape, or murder, the child can be treated as an adult, making him or her criminal and trialed as an adult in a criminal court of law. The juvenile offender is treated different than an adult offender. The juvenile court system’s main concerns are for the safety, privacy and rehabilitation of the minor offender. The most signifying differences as stated by Attorney LaMance, Ken, “Juveniles are not prosecuted for committing crimes, but rather delinquent acts. When the delinquent acts are very serious, they may be considered crimes and the juvenile may be tried in the adult system. Juveniles don't have a right to a public trial by jury. For a juvenile charged with a crime, the trial portion of the case involves a judge hearing evidence and ruling...
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...Running head: Juvenile Crime 1 Juvenile Crime Patrice Lewis January 26, 2014 CJ200 Professor Lee Rankin Juvenile Crime 2 “We fight for our children, that they may enjoy the promise of America. We fight for their innocence and their dreams. It is a fight for our future.”(Schmalleger, 2011, Chapter 15). I read this quote during my reading and it stuck with me throughout this entire section. Most youth in America today struggles with the idea of dreaming a better life. Many juveniles are put in a downward position and expected to pull up with just the strength of them. Some can accomplish this but many fail and enter into the juvenile system, trying to obtain the better life. Growing up for me in a poverty stricken area I seen a lot of crime committed by juveniles. Instead of being in school and enjoying the freedom we had between classes, and taking advantage of being a kid, children were robing other kids for shoes, cell phones, and money. Children were hanging out on street corners selling drug and joining gangs, trying to obtain a sense of belonging and fast money. In my neighborhood the drug dealers and gangbangers were idealized while the police and teachers were hated. Growing up around this only made me want to push...
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...Juvenile Crimes and Social Deviance Juvenile crimes have been decreasing since their all-time high in 1994 however the nature of their crimes had been drastically changing for the worse. Social deviance is defined as actions and/or behaviors that violated social norms. Over the past few decades many children have desired to be deviant while others have been forced into it. Petty crimes are becoming more common in today’s society, which is causing kids to have to go to more extremes to be deviant and thus resulting in more severe reactions to this behavior. The cause of juvenile violence is frequently related to one of two things; the child was exposed to violence when they were young or they are trying to fit into a deviant crowd. In 2008 approximately 10% of the children under 18 had been injured in an assault, 46% had been assaulted and 60% had been exposed to violence and/or crime. (Crime Solutions) Children who have been exposed to violence when they were young are more likely to commit crime when they are older. Children who were younger than 12 when they were exposed to the violence or crime are the most likely to commit crimes later in life. (United States Department of Justice) Children who face violence at home are also more likely to become a runaway, which makes it much easier to run into the wrong crowd. There is an increasing amount of children in abusive homes who end up trying to become vigilantes towards the abuser in order to make the abuse stop...
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...Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime Name Class Date Instructor Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime Have you ever wondered how juvenile and adult courts operate? How they are similar but yet how they’re so different from each other? This is a very misunderstood topic and process. We will try to shed light on some of the situations that surround these types of courts, and help provide a clearer picture to help understand exactly what happens and what’s going on inside the two. Juvenile and Adult Courts Before we go into how juvenile and adult courts compare to each other we will first look at a few terms that are often misconstrued. The act or behavior of someone that is young often seen as illegal or going against laws are known as a delinquency. The second term we should get familiar with when talking about juveniles are status offenses. Status offenses for juveniles are actions that wouldn’t be considered illegal if they were of age. Prime examples being running away from home and underage drinking, things of that nature. So what exactly is the difference between juvenile court and adult court one might ask? Or how are they similar? Well we will discuss that now and try to get a clearer picture of these two questions. Juvenile courts are of course for people that are under the age of 18, and have committed some sort of act or acts that are considered to be against the law. Even though some people may be a juvenile they could still be put on trial in...
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...juvinel crimeJuvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime Article Nov 3, 2014 CJA/204 Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime INTRODUCTION At a young age kids start to determine their fate. In this world children play a game of follow the leader or monkey see monkey do. Children either want to grow up to be someone important or someone who’s not so important. They go to school or drop out depending on different situations. Juvenile delinquency affects communities, schools, and homes. This article will give the reader an understanding of children who choose to follow the wrong crowd and become one of the statistics of the juvenile courts system. DELIQUENCY AND STATUS OFFENCE DEFINITION Juvenile delinquency can become complicated because of age limitations and the laws that the justice system has to deal with for children of such a young age. Delinquency is a behavior of a delinquent child, a child who has violated the law ("Juveniles And Age Status Offenses", n.d). If committed by an adult age they would then be called criminal. Children who have not been disciplined well they are beyond parental control. Children display these actions towards adults, teachers, and anyone with authority. Some children decide to act out because of neglect. Neglect is when a child is not being taken care of properly by parents or guardians. Status offences involve the conduct that would not be a crime if committed by an adult. Actions committed are considered to be a violation...
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...Juvenile crime issues in the criminal justice system can be just as complicated as dealing with adults, but the punishments are not as defining as it is for adults. Many individuals believe that when a juvenile goes to court and is punished for his delinquent acts, the people think that that is too harsh; but when the adults go to their court hearings and their punishments are set, people tend to think that that is too lenient. It always depends on the situation, regardless of where or when the act took place; they look at several key factors when deciding the punishment that is suitable for that particular crime. The criminal court system is basically the same, they attempt to better the individuals that have made mistakes in their past by sending them to institutions that will help teach them the difference between what is right and what is wrong. The difference between a juvenile court and an adult court consists of several different perspectives. One of the differences is the terminology used during the court cases, another is the leniency given to the juveniles rather than disciplining them by making an example out of them. Adult court relies on the retribution rather than “cutting them a break”. Juvenile crimes are not prosecuted but better known as “delinquent acts”, and if the crime is considered bad enough, they will try the juvenile as an adult; other times, they are fined, sentenced to a detention center, or sometimes both of the occasions. With juveniles, the cased...
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...A juvenile delinquent is a person who is found to have committed a crime; they are usually under the age of 18. There are many crimes that are reported each year all over the world that involve these young offenders, but here in Texas, the crime rates have decreased and this could be because only the juveniles who commit felony crimes are held at state- run facilities. As of 2011, the total arrests made each year are estimated to be around 99,114, this is only involving juveniles. Amongst all the crimes, ranging from vandalism, to burglary, sex offenses, to drug abuse, it seems as if the most common crime that is recognized is theft/larceny. The term “larceny” is used when a juvenile willingly trespasses and leaves with personal property. Theft is basically stealing and taking something that doesn’t belong to you. These juveniles do not necessarily have to steal from stores, or break into a home and steal property for them to be charged. Other types of theft/larceny also include, stealing bicycles from other kids and stealing from backpacks or lockers at school. All this is considered to be theft and these young adults can get into a lot of trouble for these wrong doings. If convicted of larceny, a juvenile can face jail time, fines, and this could remain on his or her records for the rest of their life. It is believed that 16 years of age is the most common age that is reported in the state of Texas when it comes to crimes being committed and there are various reasons...
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...Juvenile Justice System Ruben Lopez, University of Phoenix CJA/204 – INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE ON13BCJ05 Judge Michael Sachs July 28, 2013 Juvenile Justice System In the middle ages, children were treated as adults and received the same punishment as adults, whether it be public shaming, corporal punishment or confinement. In our country, the early American Puritans changed the way children were viewed because they believed that children could not reason the same as adults, so they did not want to hold them to the same standards ("CJi Interactive", 2011). With the Puritans view of children and not holding them to the same standards as adults, it started the juvenile justice system in our country. This was the first step that lead to what the system is today. Delinquency and Status Offenses According to Schmalleger (2011), he defines delinquency as, “juvenile actions or conduct in violation of criminal law, juvenile status offenses, and other juvenile misbehavior.” and defines status offense as “An act or conduct that is declared by statute to be an offense, but only when committed by or engaged in by a juvenile, and that can be adjudicated only by a juvenile court.” (p. 543 and 547). The difference between children who are delinquents and those who are status offenders is the laws that are being violated. Delinquent children violate laws that are criminal and if they were adults, they would be labeled as criminals. Status offenders are children who...
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...Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime Ericka Davis CJA/204 July 3, 2013 Monte Morast Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Crime Delinquency is behavior by a minor that is antisocial or in violation of the law. Status offenses are activities that are deemed offenses when committed by juveniles, because of their age at the time of the activity. Some offense would include not attending school, breaking curfew laws, running away from home, and possession and consumption of alcohol. The comparison of juvenile courts and adult courts are: The juvenile courts are adjudicated in a civil proceeding, juveniles will have no criminal record, and have the ability to get record expunged and sealed once juvenile reach adult hood. In the adult court adults are charged in a criminal proceeding and upon a finding of guilt carry a criminal record for the remainder of one’s adult life (University of Phoenix 2010). One difference is juvenile courts are conducted in an informal manner, focus more on Paren’s Patria versus Due Process, court records-recordings of proceedings is the decision of the juvenile judge and the preponderance of the evidence used in most circumstance other than determine delinquency, where beyond a reasonable doubt is implemented. Now adult courts proceedings are very formal, are courts of record, and the standard of proof required to determine a guilty verdict is beyond a reasonable doubt. Only 39 states have no guaranteeing juveniles the Right to a trial by jury...
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...be? For those who come into the juvenile justice system, the answer may lie in their treatment. There are varieties of reasons why a child may become delinquent or commit a status offense. The juvenile justice system operates differently from adult courts because many times their offenses are different. While there are times when a juvenile will cross over and be tried as an adult, most will remain in the juvenile system. Categories The term delinquencies covers anytime a “juvenile’s actions or conduct is in violation of criminal law, juvenile status offenses, and other juvenile misbehavior” (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 543). Delinquent is one of the categories in the juvenile justice system. It applies if the child violates a law that would be considered to be a criminal offense if they were an adult. The category of undisciplined children covers children who are considered to be beyond their parent’s control. Children who fall into the category of dependent have no parents or guardians to care for them. Neglected children have parents or guardians who fail to provide proper supervision or care. Finally, there are abused children. These children may suffer physical, emotional, or sexual abuse at the hands of their parents or guardians. Status Offenders A status offense is “an act or conduct that is declared by statute to be an offense, but only when committed by or engaged in by a juvenile, and that can be adjudicated only by a juvenile court” (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 547)...
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...Juvenile Crime Statistics Juan Ramirez CJA/374 April 15, 2012 Jerry Kilgo Abstract In this paper I will address juvenile crime statistics, from the Juvenile Justice Bulletin show a growing trend, in that juvenile crime actually appears to be declining according to the Juvenile Arrests 2001 Report. Even though there is a decline in juvenile offenses but the juvenile drugs and juvenile aggravated assault has increased. About 50% of the juvenile crimes be committed by female juveniles. Also I will be covering Minority and female juveniles and the tracking the juvenile crimes. Juvenile Arrests Juvenile crime has been an issue throughout the 1800s. Dealing with juvenile crime committed and examine the juvenile arrests, and criminal activity, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention a study of juvenile arrest statistics (FindLaw, 2011). In Juvenile Justice Bulletin there was a decrease in arrest in juveniles. According, to the Juvenile Justice Bulletin it shows that it was the lowest since 1988 of juvenile arrests being arrested (Flores, 2003). In 1994 juveniles peaked over and also in 1995 and around 2001 juveniles being arrested dropped. In Juvenile Justice Bulletin it breaks down the juvenile crimes committed from aggravated assaults committed by juveniles. It was lower 2001 and down in 1991 but aggravated assaults were lower in 2001 than any other year from 1991. Juveniles that committed murders were low from 1984. Robberies...
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...Juvenile Crime Statistics Kimberlee K. Curley CJA/374 January 9, 2012 Joseph Maffia Juvenile Crime Statistics The following paper will include a discussion on juvenile crime statistics; the areas to examine will include the following points. The overall decrease in juvenile arrests, increase in drug offenses and simple assault, female, ethnic, and racial arrests, the increase in arrests for females and the decrease in arrests for males for violent crimes, and an assessment of tracking methods in measuring trends in juvenile crimes. Between the years 1999 and 2008, the crime rate concerning juveniles first saw a significant rise in juvenile arrests in the years 2005 and 2006. In the later two years there was approximately a 3% decrease in arrests concerning juvenile crimes (Puzzanchera, 2009). Property crimes saw a large increase whereas violent crimes were proportionately smaller in percentage; arson and vandalism are at the top of the list. The number of arrests made was larger than the number of cases cleared by arrests, this may be because juveniles are easier to apprehend than adult offenders (Puzzanchera, 2009). Arrests for simple assaults increased substantially from 1980 to 1997, a rate increase of 156%. While there has been a slight decline in the last two years the rate for arrests of simple assaults is still substantially higher than it was beginning in 1980 (Puzzanchera, 2009). Drug offense arrests have mirrored closely that of simple assaults, the main...
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