...CheckPoint: Juvenile Court Process The first encounter a youth has with the juvenile justice system 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 made after arrest as to whether a youth should be detained and charged, released, or transferred into another youth welfare program. When a juvenile court case reaches the juvenile probation department, an intake officer will decide whether to dismiss it, handle it informally, or hear it formally. To make this decision the officer reviews the facts surrounding the case to decide if there is enough information to try the youth. If the court has received adequate evidence to hear the case, a decision will be made as to whether the juvenile case should be heard formally or informally. Approximately 50 percent of all juvenile justice cases are heard informally, and among these, most are dismissed. Cases receive an "informal disposition" by a judge when a youth admits guilt and agrees to settle the charges by meeting the requirements of the court, which are laid out in a "consent decree." Among these requirements may be: • Restitution - juvenile is required to reimburse the victim or pay a fine to the community for damages he has caused. • Mandatory curfew - juvenile is subject to a strict curfew. • School attendance - juvenile is required to attend school regularly. • Rehabilitation...
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...Future of the Juvenile Justice System Courts: Many changes need to happen to allow a better future of the juvenile justice system. “The elimination of some of the court’s delinquency function as more and more jurisdiction over youth criminality is transferred to the adult criminal system. Another possibility is the removal or reduction from juvenile court jurisdiction of status offenses, including truancy, beyond control of parents, running away from home, and other noncriminal conduct. Instead of utilizing the juvenile court, this type of behavior would beaddressed increasingly by community-based services. A third possibility is the juvenile court’s expanding jurisdiction over abuse and neglect cases.Oversight of abuse and neglect cases and of the social service agencies whichdeliver services to families has become a major portion of the work of the juvenile court” (Hanson, 1996) . “The juvenile court of the future should be able to take advantage of community resources more effectively by turning to volunteers and public-private partnerships for support. Communities seem ready to give their time and resources to children and families. The challenge for each court will be to identify the most effective ways by which communities can be organized to work with the court on behalf of children” (Hanson, 1996). Corrections: There are a few sections that need to be addressed in order to make a better future for juvenile justice system. The points are as follows: I. Create...
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...The juvenile justice system is, primarily, made up of many informal procedures. This system is based on the parens patriae philosophy, and is structured towards helping juvenile offenders, as opposed to, hindering them. However, if a juvenile is suspected of committing a crime, there are several procedures in place to help determine if the adolescent, did in fact, break the law. For example, if an adolescent is suspected of violating the law, law enforcement officers will begin an investigation. There are several things that officers look for during an active investigation, such as, the nature of the offense, and any past criminal history. If the initial investigation provides fruitful information, the officers have the right to file for a...
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...opinion of incarcerating a juvenile with adults in prisons and jails are somewhat skeptical. I believe the biggest factor in determining if a juvenile should be housed with an adult in a prison or jail depends on the historical criminal characteristics of the juvenile and the volume of the crime. Anyone who has spent time in a local courtroom knows the caseloads are significantly larger than criminal or circuit court proceedings, and the prosecution along with the defense counsel seems to speed the process up and get dispositions on all the cases the court docket displays. The same applies to juvenile court as well and I don't think there will ever be an absolute resolution to this. The speedy process undoubtedly loses its grip on rehabilitating a juvenile if they are tried in adult court, as most judges are inexperienced with statutes that deal with juveniles (Siegel & Bartollas, 2014). I believe there is hope among juveniles if they are rehabilitated correctly and they can be molded into a better character as they are assumed to lack having a positive character in their lives that inspire them to simply live a good life, in most cases. Therefore, I do not believe every juvenile should be incarcerated with adults for crimes that don't have a criminal nexus that supersedes a misdemeanor degree or a pattern...
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...After reading the assigned text I have come to find out the juvenile court system differs from the adult courts in many ways. However, the juvenile court system has many similarities as the adult system as well. The difference between the juvenile courts and the adults courts are, the juvenile courts emphasize helping the child, rehabilitating the child. The juvenile courts are informal, rules of evidence and rules of procedures have little relevance in juvenile proceedings. Juvenile courts are based on civil law, this is the key notion that juvenile courts were intended to rehabilitate, not punish. Juvenile courts are secret, crime victims and ordinary citizens are not allowed in the court sessions and it is illegal for law enforcement personnel and court officials to release the names of juveniles to the media. Juvenile courts rarely involve a jury. Juveniles have no constitutional right to a jury, which is to reinforce the nature...
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...As the President of the Juvenile Case Disposition Commission, it is my job to make recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and the Courts of the State of Old York concerning juvenile issues. Recently, there has been a national discussion about juvenile cases. Some have argued that the system is too easy for juveniles to abuse while others believe that society does not do enough to take care of the juvenile population. In the case of a young man named Kalief Browder, the argument of society not taking care of the juvenile population is the concerned issue. On May 15, 2010, Browder, sixteen at the time, was returning home with a friend from a party near the Bronx. Several squad cars pulled up on Browder and his friend while shining a spot...
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...There are many differences between the juvenile court system and the adult court system. While the primary focus in juvenile court is treatment, rehabilitation, and community protection, the primary goal of the adult system is punishment, and not rehabilitation (PBS, 2014). Limitations are also placed on public access to juvenile records because of the belief that juvenile offenders can be successfully rehabilitated and to avoid their unnecessary stigmatization. While juvenile hearings are closed to the public, juvenile court proceedings may be closed to the public. In contrast, open public records are required for adults and adult courts are open to the public (PBS, 2014). There are no jury trials in juvenile court and the cases are heard...
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...ITT-tech | Juvenile Justice Supreme Court Cases | Project 2 | | Latisha Lipsey | 7/30/2012 | | Juveniles have been committing crimes since the beginning of time, and they were punished has needed. The problem in today’s world is the youths are starting to commit more crimes, then decades ago, and another issue is how to punish a juvenile for the crime they committed. There are several landmark juvenile cases that were decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The first three cases, Kent v. United States (1966), In re Gault (1967), and In re Winship (1970), are considered to be three biggest cases which opened the doors for the juvenile litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court (Champion, 2010,2007,2004,2001,1998). When the Kent case was decided in 1966, it was much easier for the U.S. Supreme Court to impose its vast precedent setting powers on juvenile courts in all jurisdictions. Then there was other cases including Breed v. Jones that granted various constitutional rights to juveniles (Champion, 2010,2007,2004,2001,1998). In today’s world juvenile courts in all jurisdictions have moved away from traditional approaches to juvenile offending and punishment and onto due process commensurate with adult offenders. The presence of an attorney in juvenile courts is more of a rule then an exception (Champion, 2010,2007,2004,2001,1998) . The history of the evolution of the legal rights of juvenile offenders began in the 1960’s, the Supreme Court required juvenile courts...
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...Drug Courts: Adult and Juvenile Rehabilitation Programs Eugene Berry Crj2200 Introduction to Criminal Courts Drug courts handle nonviolent substance abuse offenders, drug courts are used primarily to solve a problem rather than to send someone to jail or lock an offender away with less chance of rehabilitation. In the United States there are currently almost 2500 drug courts in the 50 states as well as the U.S. territories of Guam, and Puerto Ricco. Drug courts got their start in Florida, in 1989 judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, and state attorneys designed the court for non-violent offenders in Miami-Dade County, to battle a rising crack-cocaine problem in there city’s. Drug courts are a program the can involve different levels of intensive supervision by the courts themselves, this includes drug testing and substance abuse clinics or treatment programs. Drug court judges gain a lot of discretion and leeway in this system and can give the offenders instant or gradual sanctions if the offenders fail to meet the standards of the program given. To help keep the offenders compliant the courts can offer fewer drug tests, fewer court dates, and even the possibility of reduced or completely dismissed sentences if they programs are fully completed. Drug courts are proven to keep offenders from repeating their offences and the overall reduction in recidivism rates on these charges. There is research being done today that shows this treatment method could reduce drug...
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...Juveniles and the Constitution There are countless cases involving juveniles and the Constitution. Three of the most notable of these cases are Kent v. United States, In re Gault, and In re Winship. The decisions of the aforementioned cases all played an imperative role in juvenile cases. The case of Kent v. United States involved a sixteen-year-old juvenile by the name of Morris Kent. Kent was arrested for several charges, which included breaking into a woman’s home, robbery, and rape. Kent was on juvenile probation, so the state requested to send his trial to an adult court where he was sentenced a thirty to ninety year prison term. However, the Supreme Court overturned the sentence ruling that juveniles have a right to counsel and a hearing in any case where the juvenile judge considers transferring the case to adult court. This landmark...
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...The Juvenile justice system is very similar to the criminal justice system, which is made up of several different agencies. The juvenile system is mostly aimed at rehabilitating teenagers, rather than punishing them. With the juvenile system, they have a limited jurisdiction that is up to age 17 in most states and informal proceedings, which for the most part are handled through local county systems being either juvenile or family courts. Many juvenile crimes go unreported because no arrest has been made, and if they are arrested they are only able to be booked for committing the highest level of crime. Most crimes committed by teens are theft, drug abuse, basic assault, disorderly conduct, and curfew violations. The most common offense among juveniles is theft followed by drug abuse. Although the juvenile system is used more for rehabilitation than punishment, there is a movement called “get-tough” which is for juveniles that break the law it would give them a harsher punishment, rather than just rehabilitation. The Illinois juvenile court act was approved in 1899, making it the first juvenile court. This act would in fact, include all juveniles under the age of 16 that violated any law. In the same year, Colorado passed the compulsory school act, which was for juveniles who were usually absent from school or wandered the streets during school hours. This act was to try to help teenagers destroy their deviant behaviors, while they are still young. Juveniles had special courts...
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...Juvenile Court System Felicia Simmons CJS/200 10/13/2012 Monty H, Mathis M.Ed Juvenile Court The juvenile court system takes into different consideration when it comes to juveniles. They look at the age of the juvenile as well as the nature of the offense or crime that has been committed. Although the nature of the offense or crime will not ensure that the juvenile will be charged as an adult. In the juvenile court system when a minor commits a crime they are referred to as delinquent not criminals. Juveniles are not arrest they taken into custody and also in court a juvenile case can have adjustment made so that the minor may be sent home or placed in a detention facility, or a child care shelter. At this point the juvenile will be a findings hearing or adjudication hearing. If the juvenile is sentenced they can be sentenced from a range of different things such as commitment to a youth center, treatment, training schools. Before the juvenile is released they might be moved to a residential childcare facility or an aftercare facility. Adult Court System In the adult court system age isn’t a big factor at all, but the courts do look at pass offense as well as any other background or criminal history. Adults are refereed as criminal and they may chose to plead guilty, not guilty or no contest to any charges that they may be facing. An adult offender that is in the due process stage will either be sent to jail or they get a reduction in the charges that they have...
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...Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper Cristal Irvin CJS/245 April 7, 2015 Samantha Brown Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper At one point in history there was only one system of justice for the people of the United States. As time went by, the justice system shifted into two structures which are known as the Juvenile and Criminal Justice System. It was recognized that children and adults were not committing the same crimes. The states responded to this issue by establishing a system that differentiates juveniles from adults by creating the juvenile court system. The Juvenile Court is a complex structure that in order to understand it, one needs to know the process of when a juvenile enters the system. The American Juvenile Justice System is put into place to focus and manage juveniles who are caught and convicted of crimes. The system is formulated by agencies that consist of police officers, prosecutors, juvenile courts, probation officers, and the Department of Juvenile Corrections. The system functions by agencies taking various steps when dealing with a juvenile. The first step is determining who is a juvenile. In most states a juvenile is considered a child between the ages of ten and eighteen and in some states they can set the maximum age as sixteen. When a police officer encounters a juvenile that has committed a crime the police officer has several options on handling a juvenile who has committed a delinquent act. Depending...
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...Juvenile offenders are young persons who cannot be tried as adults because they are too young. Juvenile court process are not like adult court process. When a juvenile gets caught doing something bad they do not go to jail. They get taken to law enforcement but the parents are contacted so they can pick them up there. That is the intake process. The next step after that is the adjudication process. That is when the charges are reviewed and the juvenile has court hearings. Usually the hearings for juveniles are not public. They are usually behind closed doors. If the juvenile is convicted then that is the disposition process. That is when they determine what kind of punishment the juvenile will receive. For example if they need to go to a juvenile rehab or probation, or if they need to get sent to boot camp and also if they need to pay any restitution for any damage they need to pay for. Like for example to pay for a damaged window or to pay for something they have stolen from a grocery store. Young teenagers are considered juveniles until the age of 17. After the age of 17 they can be tried as adults. Most juveniles learn their lesson the first time they get in trouble. Some do not and continue to get in trouble. Sometimes that happens due to the fact that their parents do not care about them. They come from families with no dads around only moms or vice versa. I think juveniles should be punished the hard way as soon as they start acting up and getting into trouble. That way...
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...This student/advocate is choosing to focus on the Juvenile Court system. I am working on a degree in Criminal Justice with a cognate in Juvenile Corrections. I have been an advocate of domestic violence and child abuse since 1999; therefore, after I achieve a Bachelor of Science degree, I will focus on a Masters in Human Services Counseling (Crisis Response Trauma) and Public Policy (Administration). I have learned that credentials are extremely instrumental in legislative procedures, particularly in rescinding ineffective laws and establishing new laws. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (NIV, Matthew 19:14). The Old and New Testament demonstrate abundantly that children are a heritage from God and a crown of the aged (Psalms 127:3; Proverbs 17:6). My interest in the welfare of children guides me to focus on the area of social justice, particularly Gods’ social justice; thus, applying my education and experience to helping the vulnerable. The contemporary worldview in regards to social justice is...
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