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Challenges in the juvenile justice system
Challenges in the juvenile justice system
Challenges in the juvenile justice system
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Imagine a situation in which a report came out that a 17-year-old was arrested for the killing of his next-door neighbor with the use of a shotgun. The video explains how adolescents from different age groups were sentenced to different types of crime. Juvenile criminal systems are different from adult criminal systems because innocent or guilty isn’t involved in that type of case as the juvenile is still a minor. For the adult criminal system, the criminal who is an adult has the option to bond and has a right to a jury trial as well. The proper age to be charged as an adult is 17 years old.
The Juvenile Justice System Crystal Swanson Columbia Southern University 2 Introduction Summary There is a program called Aggression Replacement Training (ART) which concentrates on development of individual competencies to address various emotional and social aspects that contribute to aggressive behavior in youths. Program techniques are designed to teach youths how to control their angry impulses and take perspectives other than their own. The main goal is to reduce aggression and violence among youths by providing them with opportunities to learn prosocial skills in place of aggressive behavior. The program is targeted at youths with a history of serious aggression and antisocial behavior and can be applied across several
The juvenile justice system of the 1800’s is much improved in today’s society and still undergoing changes to improve the system. Henceforth, it can be noticed that the juvenile justice system of the 1800’s until today has undergone drastic changes in such a way that offenders be it youth or minor are tried differently from the adults in all states These changes can be seen when the Juvenile Justice System was under the English Common Law, the colonial era, the industrial revolution era, and the Victorian era. There are more programs developed in today’s Juvenile Justice System, as well as young offenders with regards to age are processed separately, and are not necessarily referred to as chattel due to how profound the juvenile system has
The Juvenile Justice System was developed in the mid-1800’s. Before the 1800’s there was no clear legal status defined for youthful offenders. From birth to age five or six, children were identified as property, and from ages five or six until death, children were identified as an adult. Because children identified as an adult, they were subjected to the same rules and standards that adults where held too. Such standards include dealing with social and economic problems.
Kids were put in juvenile for the most simplest minor offenses. Offenses such as arguing and disrespecting adults to getting into school fights. These little incidents were so minor and could had been resolved easily, yet teens got prison time for minor crimes. According to William Ecenbarger in his book Kids For Cash, he writes about the many different offenses that kids got into and how they were punished and treated for their minor offenses and put into juvenile, and how Judge Mark Ciavarella took advantage of this. Cases like a fifteen year old boy who gets charged for a misdemeanor for showing disrespect to his grandfather and being placed on probation.
, First, let's talk about the juvenile correction process. Charges brought up against juveniles are brought by the state not a victim. Juveniles, typically 18 years and younger, commit delinquent acts. Once a delinquent act is committed and the state has brought up charges, the juvenile justice systems look to treat and rehabilitate offenders rather than incarcerate them. First, as in adult cases as well, an investigation is conducted and charges are brought up.
In 1925, the United States Congress passed the Federal Probation Act. This bill gave the U.S. courts system the power to appoint federal probation officers and the power to sentence defendants to probation instead of sending them to prison. The main function of these new officers was to supervise individuals that have been sentenced to probation, as well as those who were granted supervised release from prison. This new supervision system needed to classify their offenders, because not all of these individuals needed the same level of supervision.
Juveniles are teenagers usually younger than 18 years old, but it varies depending on the state you live in. If we rehabilitate and give adolescents a second chance, they would be able to turn their life around and become something more than a killer. In addition, "Prison Is Too Violent for Young Offenders", a New York Times article states, “... the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juvenile offenders because ‘people under 18 are immature, irresponsible, susceptible to peer pressure and often capable of
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.
Juvenile court began over one hundred years ago. The purpose of it was to guide rather than punish juveniles. They are not fully grown yet, and may not understand the crime they have commited. Many states, since Juvenile court began, have passed laws, making it easier for them, that certain children be tried as adults. It is only punishing their health and stability being put in adult prisons.
For starters, the main aim of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate and reform the offender, thus the government applies methods such as probation, parole, and reform programs. The other system focuses more on punishment and separating the offenders from the public than on reforming them hence the use of incarceration. Imprisonment takes away the culprit’s freedom and subjects him or her to a rigid system of operation. They also aim at deterring the offender from re-committing the offence, and serving as a warning to other members of the public to avoid crime. Secondly, juveniles undergo adjudication instead of facing public trial by jury.
Juvenile Justice System. As the years go on, the debate of whether or not juveniles should be tried as adults, or if they should be sentenced to life in prison seems to become more of a bigger issue everyday. Many believe that adolescents who commit heinous crimes should face consequences no matter the circumstances. Others however, find it unfair and argue that these young criminals have yet to fully mature, and due to their lack of brain development, should be tried as juvenile criminals.
The third suggestion would be fixing the Juvenile court system. There had been many unfair cases among youth offenders for over the last 50 years. Cases where youth offenders end up being charged as an adult, being charged for the crimes they have done and their sentencing. According to the Model for change article on Juvenile indigent defense, “Young people in trouble with the law have a right to legal counsel, but they frequently don’t get the timely or adequate representation they need” (“Reform Areas”). Other than the unfair charges for youth, when it comes for youth having the right to counsel and accept plea offers, they will not fully understand their actions.
Few centuries ago, there was no clear distinction between the Youth Justice System and the adult Criminal Justice System children and adults were punished and treated the same in eyes of the law. The main clear distinction that was made between the systems started with the Youthful Offender Act 1854 and The Juvenile Offenders act 1847. The Juvenile Offenders Act 1847 was the first legislation to differentiate between adults and juveniles offenders. Children who were under the age of 14 whom were accused of theft could be tried immediately for the crimes that they have committed. Rather than being sent to prison to wait for their trials, immediate powers of convictions made the process of trials for children faster and more private under the
Prior to 1899 in the United States, children who committed a criminal offense were tried and punished as adults. Children were being institutionalized with adult criminals where they were picking up negative influences preparing them for a life of crime. Progressive and social change demanded that children be protected and educated instead and therefore a separate court system for juveniles was subsequently established to address this problem. It has since being argued that juvenile courts have abandoned their role to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents and should be abolished.
