Juveniles During The Colonial Era

251 Words2 Pages
Juvenile justice policies have determined how juveniles are handled in the criminal justice system. During the colonial period, juveniles were treated like adults and were prosecuted accordingly. Children were arrested, tried and held in institutions with adult criminals and many of them were mistreated. Reformers saw a need to separate juvenile offenders from the adults and rehabilitate them. Reformers campaigned for the focus of punishment to be shifted to rehabilitation by changing the juvenile’s behavior. Juvenile institutions provided education as well as vocational skills for juvenile offenders to ensure a productive life and prevent offending juveniles from becoming adult criminals. Legislature enacted policies to protect the children