The juvenile court's purpose is to recognize the differences between juveniles and adults. The intent of the juvenile court was to rehabilitation, rather than focusing on the guilt and punishment. The juvenile court was designed to operate like a social welfare agency by focusing on the best interests of the juvenile. While some may argue that the juvenile courts have never lived up to its promise to give individualized treatment to juvenile offenders. Now the debate has been ongoing whether or not to abolish the juvenile courts? Do juveniles have due process safeguards? How should juveniles be handled?
As we learned in CJAD 330, labeling theorists and labeling theory hold youths are locked in a delinquent career when their behavior is labeled by justice systems. Research shows that the criminal justice system makes it worse for people who get in trouble with the law. Youth often engage in risk-taking behaviors that eventually get out of their system, known as “age out” of crime (CJAD455). Negative labeling can lead to a spiraling downward effect for youths.
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The mind of a minor is not well developed mentally, as compared to an adult. As we learned in CJAD 240, the rational choice theory holds that juveniles’ behavior is a rational choice based on personal circumstances, the gains outweigh the losses. Youth are said to not always able to tell what’s right or wrong, at least not as well as adults. In addition, we learned that youths have many psychosocial disadvantages, such as peer pressure, temperance, and perspective. Well, adults have learned the negative consequences of being easily influenced; youth are not always able to deal with it