Juvenile Court Case Study

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Juvenile court was developed largely because of the Illinois Supreme Court ruling in People v. Turner. This Court ruling required “due process protection prior to youth’s placement” and also addressed the fear of criminal courts not wanting to sentence youth (Elrod & Ryder, 2014, p. 116). As a result of this case, the first juvenile court was formed in Cook County, Illinois in 1899. Due to the influx of immigration into America during the countries Progressive Era, one of the downfalls to so many ethnic groups now living in American cities was the increase of children. As a result of this, it left a lot of children to roam the streets and engage in delinquency. While some of the crimes that were committed by the juveniles were prosecutable, the …show more content…

The Juvenile Court Act of 1899 allowed the new juvenile courts in Illinois to have “broad jurisdiction powers over people younger than 16 years who were delinquent, dependent children, or neglected children” (Elrod & Ryder, 2014, p. 116). This act also required that juvenile cases were to be held be a special judge, separate from adult cases, and the juvenile records were to be kept separate from the adult records. This act also allowed judges to place juveniles on probation as a form of punishment instead of placing the young delinquent in jail. I am a proponent of today’s juvenile court because everyone has to be accountable for their actions, regardless of their age. I believe that the system works for the majority of the youth that enter into the system because the process is frightening and is an eye opener to the path that they could travel down if they do not learn from their mistake. It is imperative to identify the underlying issues and concerns as to why the juvenile committed the crime rather than the actual crime that was committed. Being able to recognize this problem will allow