Evolution of the Juvenile System
This paper takes a brief look at the history and evolution of the juvenile justice system in the United States. In recent years there has been an increase of juvenile cases being transferred into the adult court system. This paper will also look at that process and the consequences of that trend. In the early nineteenth century juveniles were treated the same as adults when it came to the legal system. We did not have separate courts or jails for juveniles and they would often receive the same punishments as adults that had committed crimes. “At the beginning of the nineteenth century, delinquent, neglected, and runaway children in the United States were treated in the same way as adult criminal offenders” (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Three key things that helped to develop a separate system for juveniles were the child-saving movement, the concept of parens patria, and the creation of institutions created specifically for the care of juveniles.
The ‘child-savers’ movement began in New York in the early 1800’s. These early groups were concerned mainly with the moral education of children. They felt that private groups and families were not doing enough to properly educate young people and wanted more control to be given to the government. These groups were formed by prominent members of the community who could influence law makers. “Child-saving organizations influenced state legislatures to enact laws giving courts the power to commit children who were runaways or criminal offenders to specialized institutions” (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). From these groups the concept of parens patria was made popular. Parens patria is Latin for parent of the country, and basically gives the state or government the power to take care of those that cannot take care of themselves. The juvenile justice system is a foundation in society