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Juvenile Justice Case Summary

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1. Summarize at least three landmark cases made by the U.S. Supreme Court and discuss their impact on the Juvenile Justice system.

There are numerous opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court that had a significant impact on the system of juvenile justice. As discussed in the textbook, some of the most important cases were decided in the 1960’s and the 1970’s as the “get tough” movement was taking shape. These cases include Gideon v. Wainright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963); Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 541 (1966); In re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967); and McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, 403 U.S. 528 (1971).

The case of Gideon v. Wainright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), involved a defendant (Gideon), who, after being arrested and brought to trial, …show more content…
The Supreme Court found that the lower court had violated Kent’s rights and that juveniles must be provided with full due process during all court proceedings.

In the case entitled In re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967), Gault was a juvenile who was on probation and who was accused of making an obscene phone call to a neighbor. Gault was arrested and taken to a detention home. His parents were not immediately notified of his arrest. Throughout the period of Gault’s detention, a number of procedures available to adult defendants were denied to Gault. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until he turned 21.

Gault’s parents filed a writ of habeas corpus. After their writ was dismissed by two Arizona courts, the Gaults appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue were the rights of juvenile defendants in cases where incarceration was a possible outcome. The Supreme Court decided that Gault’s procedural rights had been violated. The Court also conducted an extensive review of juvenile court procedures and determined that juveniles, with some exceptions, were entitled to the same procedural safeguards as

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