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Abolish The Juvenile Court

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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. …show more content…

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

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Juveniles that go through the rehabilitation process will be able to have a clean record after they reach 18, whereas the exact opposite if they went through the adult justice system. Stevenson feels that, “We’ve become so fearful and vengeful that we’ve thrown away children, discarded the disabled, and sanctioned the imprisonment of the sick and the weak—not because they are a threat to public safety or beyond rehabilitation but because we think it makes us seem tough, less broken.” (289) This quote represents the treatment towards juveniles in prison and how the potential of these children is wasted. The goal of rehabilitation is to help the youth understand the consequences of their actions and learn how to make better choices in the

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1292 Words | 6 Pages

The federal government’s “War on Crime” by the Johnson administration in the 60s made way for tougher law enforcement and surveillance (Hinton, 2015). However, with this came the separation of children and adults in the criminal justice system; then the separation of juvenile delinquents from status offenders. As mentioned, status offenders are different from juvenile delinquents because they had broken rules which apply to only children. Meanwhile, juvenile delinquents are youths under the age of 18, who committed offenses that would be punishable to adults as well. By the late 1960s, there became a growing concern that juveniles involved in the court-based status-offense system, were not getting their best interests met (Shubik & Kendall, 2007).

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452 Words | 2 Pages

AJ 207 – Assign 7 1-To what extent do you see restorative justice practices meeting the philosophical goals of the juvenile justice system? Discuss specific features that do and do not correspond to the philosophy of the juvenile justice system? The extent that I see justice practices meeting the philosophical goals of the juvenile justice system has moved toward a retributive justice philosophy that gives punishment priority. The juvenile justice systems new approach is more of a balanced approach with a philosophical framework.

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259 Words | 2 Pages

Children are not Adults The controversial issue of juvenile crime is a frequently intangible topic. Naturally, most people find the idea of a young child committing a severe crime very appalling, as no one expects a wide-eyed child to engage in such a heinous act of misconduct. In the essay “Adult Crime, Adult +30Time”, Linda J. Collier affirms that children who engage in adult conduct should undoubtedly be sent to an adult prison (Collier 608). Clearly, a child should be penalized for a corrupt act such as murder, but, Ms. Collier’s solution is considerably harsh for a child of such a young age. In the order of criminal justice, a young child should certainly not be disciplined in the same manner as an adult.

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1878 Words | 8 Pages

Doing away with juvenile courts would “assure greater procedural regularity in the determination of guilt” and eliminate the immense amount of subjectivity involved (Feld). Although this may assist in assigning guilt among juvenile offenders in more serious crimes, it may be slightly extreme to try minors in criminal court for petty offences. Feld addresses the apparent problem of subjectivity and trying minors in criminal court would help diminish that bias, yet he only considers the application of more serious crimes that would have mandatory sentences of five years or more, not both the serious crimes and the approach to smaller-scale crimes. Although he remains somewhat blind to part of the overall argument, the information provided is well researched and knowledgeable. Feld himself is also highly

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1327 Words | 6 Pages

Juvenile Detention Centers are the facilities that the government use for children that do not know how to act and are steadily getting in to trouble with either the law or in school. Some facilities do meet the requirements of education but then there are some that do not have the books or the technology to help the kids with their education. Then there are some facilities that don’t discipline the children in these facilities like they are suppose to; some let the kids do almost whatever they want and guards tend to get “cool” with the inmates, and give them more privileges than others. A juvenile commits a crime usually because of the people they surround themselves with or the things they see others doing, only because they do not realize that when you commit a crime there is always consequences that come with that crime and they do not think that because, in most cases the people they see doing illegal activity haven’t got caught.

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303 Words | 2 Pages

Consider the following propositions, decide which one is most worthy of our serious attention, and explain why.   Abandon the concept of delinquency but maintain a juvenile system for status offenders, children in need of supervision, and their ilk.   Abandoning the concept of delinquency, while maintaining a system which continues to address status offenders and children in need of supervision seems to be the worthiest of the three propositions which requires our serious attention.

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515 Words | 3 Pages

Juvenile Justice Essay In the United States, there have been many cases where a juvenile would be found guilty and be tried as an adult. There are other cases where those juveniles are tried as adult forever. I am against charging juveniles as adults when they commit violent crimes, the juveniles lose many educational opportunities and the adult system is far too dangerous for the young juveniles. Juveniles are also young kids but only the fact that they do not get the same amount of education or experience that other teens gain.

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504 Words | 3 Pages

By the age of 14, most teens are expected to know what they want to commit them selves to make a living. If kids are given that much responsibility and such a young age, then why can't they comprehend the consequences of violent crimes such as armed robbery and murder? The answer is that they can. While most teenagers won't be able to tell you the maximum sentence for aggravated assault, they will be able to tell you that you spend year’s prison. Most teenagers and kids know that the consequences of violent crimes are severe.”

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636 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine being a child imprisoned for committing a crime for which you did not understand the consequences. Alone and afraid, with only hardened criminals and psychopaths as adult role models, you live in fear. Through a vicious combination of physical, sexual, emotional, and mental abuse, there is no option but to turn back to crime as an adult, and continue the cycle. This is a daily reality for thousands of American juveniles. Yet, we continue to call it the juvenile justice system.

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498 Words | 2 Pages

Juveniles being tried as adults in the justice system face the same penalties as adults, including life without parole, will receive little or no education, mental health treatment, or rehabilitative programming. Transferring adolescents to the adult system is counterproductive and even harmful because adult facilities cannot meet the special needs of the juvenile offender. Trying juveniles as adults they will obtain an adult criminal record that may significantly limit their future education and employment opportunities. This choice to try juveniles as adults put them at greater risk of assault and death in adult jails and prisons with adult inmates. The ultimate outcome of transferring juvenile offenders to adult prisons is overwhelmingly

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849 Words | 4 Pages

The juvenile justice system has made numerous of ethical issues when managing juvenile offenders. The issue with the juvenile justice system is the laws and rules that govern it. It has led to years of controversial debate over the ethical dilemmas of the juvenile corrections system, and how they work with youth offenders. The number of minors entering the juvenile justice system is increasing every month. The reasons why the juvenile justice system faces ethical dilemmas is important and needs to be addressed: (1) a vast proportion of juveniles are being tried and prosecuted as adults; (2) the psychological maturation of the juvenile to fully comprehend the justice system; and (3) the factors that contribute to minorities being adjudicated in the juvenile justice system are more likely than White offenders.

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1979 Words | 8 Pages

It is debated that juveniles are committing more serious and violent crimes because the youth think they can get off easy and take advantage of the system put in place. Those in favor of youth offenders being tried as adults believe that as juveniles are punished to the full extent of the law, future youth offender will think twice before committing a criminal act. In support of this, seventy-five percent of the transferred juveniles interviewed by Redding and Fuller (2004) felt that their experiences in the adult criminal justice system had taught them the serious consequences of committing crimes. As one juvenile explained, “[Being tried as an adult] showed me it’s not a game anymore. Before, I thought that since I’m a juvenile I could do just about anything and just get 6 months if I got

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964 Words | 4 Pages

Juvenile Justice Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like.

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760 Words | 4 Pages

Can you imagine waking up behind closed walls and bars? Waking up to see your inmate who is a 45-year-old bank robber and you are a 14-year-old minor who made a big mistake. This is why minors who have committed crimes should not be treated the same as adults. Some reasons are because the consequences given to minors in adult court would impact a minor’s life in a negative way. If a minor is tried through a juvenile court, they have a greater chance of rehabilitation.

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