A Look at the Conflicts of the Juvinile Court System in “No Matter How Loud I Shout” by Edward Humes

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The book “No Matter How Loud I Shout” written by Edward Humes, looks at numerous major conflicts within the juvenile court system. There is a need for the juvenile system to rehabilitate the children away from their lives of crime, but it also needs to protect the public from the most violent and dangerous of its juveniles, causing one primary conflict. Further conflict arises with how the court is able to administer proper treatment or punishment and the rights of the child too due process. The final key issue is between those that call for a complete overhaul of the system, and the others who think it should just be taken apart. On both sides there is strong reasoning that supports each of their views, causing a lot of debate about the juvenile court system. Edward Humes follows the cases of seven teenagers in juvenile court, and those surrounding them. Many people say that the systems first priority should be to protect the public from the juvenile criminals that are a danger to others. Once the juveniles enter the system there is however, arguments on what should be done with them. Especially for those deemed too dangerous to be released back to their parents. Some want them locked away for as long as possible without rehabilitation, thinking that it will halt their criminal actions. One way to do this they argue would be to send them into an adult court. This has been a large way to reform the juvenile system, by lowering the age limits. I believe in certain cases this is the best method for unforgiving juveniles convicted of murder, as in the case of Ronald Duncan, who got away with a much lesser sentence due to his age. However another juvenile, Geri Vance, was old enough to be sent into the adult court, which caused him t... ... middle of paper ... ..., poorly operated, and in the end fails to properly attain its goals due to an overload of cases. There is a continuation of failures for the juveniles by the system, like George, who has needed proper help, since being a ward of the state since age five. The book showed me a definite need for the juvenile system that I did not know existed. Hopefully the system will be further improved and children can be helped out a lot earlier in their lives. Although there are many cases of how bad the system is, some of the juveniles got their lives together, such as Carla. I thought the most impressive and most beneficial rehabilitation was the pace school for the disabled, the teen mentioned in the program was Andre. Andre underwent a complete transformation because of the program; I think that the program is one that should be further looked into as a good choice of rehab.

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