Juvenile Justice System

The U.S. Census reported that 1.6 million individuals under the age of 18 were arrested in 2010, a substantial increase from previous years (OJJDP, 2012; US Census Bureau, 2012). Of those individuals detained, over nine percent were convicted as juveniles and entered into a juvenile detention facility (Risler, 2009). Approximately 500,000 children are currently in the foster care system, while almost 300,000 have medical problems, have neurological impairs, and developmental delays (Earls, 2013). In addition, they were all exposed to some degree of critical abuse or neglect, leaving almost 80 percent of those children with serious emotional difficulties (Earls, 2013). As a result of various complications, emotional disturbances, and multiple placements, many children get involved in illegal activities and end up in the juvenile delinquent system (Center for Children and Youth Justice, 2014). This paper looks to examine the connection between both the juvenile justice system and the foster care system, and its implications on a minor’s future. With the prevalent research, statistics, and an interview from an expert in the probation and foster care field, one will be able to thoroughly understand the impact both systems have on each other and society as a whole.

Juvenile delinquency is a problem that affects society as a whole. Understanding Juvenile delinquency is important because it is part of trying to figure out how people in American society should react to it; specifically, in terms of law enforcement officers, their agencies, and State legislators. When deviant behavior becomes "continuous, chronic and widespread it gets perceived as a significant part of the population as threatening to the general well-being of society" (Thompson and Bynum, 2010, p. 44). This is a societal problem that requires attention from various forms of social control. However, a lot of the burden is absorbed by an imperfect Juvenile Justice System. As time has passed, argument has ensued over what should be done with the Juvenile Court System. Should the court system be reformed or simply abolished? Barry C. Feld believes that there are enough factors to support the abolishment of the Juvenile Court System and supports an integrated approach (Hickey, 2010). Others, like Vincent Schiraldi and Jason Ziedenberg, believe that the transfer of kids "into adult court is unnecessary, harmful and racist" (Kelly, 2010, Lecture Unit 3). While reforming the system may seem like the best idea, there are certain factors that inhibit proper changes from being made. Creating a separate court system for juveniles has caused a number of consequences for youth.

The history of the juvenile justice system dates back to the 1760s when William Blackstone published the Commentaries on the Laws of England. In Blackstone’s writing, he separated adults and juveniles by the juveniles’ ability to understand that they were committing a crime and their full intent to commit an unlawful crime. Any person over the age of 14 were able to differentiate right from wrong and therefore should receive punishment, even if it consisted of the death penalty. A child under the age of 7 were not capable of being sentenced to a felony charge and were classified as “infants,” not able to fully understand their actions. If a child within the age range of 7-14 were capable of understanding they were committing a crime and had full intent to commit an unlawful act, they may possibly receive punishment too (ABA Dialogue Program, n.d., p.4). For example, a youth caught stealing within the age of 7-14, the court would have to authenticate the juveniles’ knowledge of the activity they were engaging in and provide evidence of the intent of the juvenile to commit the theft in order for them to be sentenced. If a child under the age of 7 committed a crime as harsh as murder, the child was not held responsible for their crime because they were considered too young to understand their actions.

Remember doing something mischievous or wrong when you were a kid and getting the label "delinquent" slapped on you ? Did you ever wonder what it meant ? That is what my topic for today is . . . juvenile delinquency. In this report I will: define juvenile delinquency, give the extent of juvenile delinquency, give some suggestions on what causes juvenile delinquency, and what is being done in various communities to deal with this growing problem. The legal term juvenile delinquent was established so that young lawbreakers could avoid the disgrace of being classified in legal records as criminals. Juvenile delinquency laws were designed to provide treatment, rather than punishment, for juvenile offenders. Young delinquents usually are sent to juvenile courts, where the main aim is to rehabilitate offenders, rather than to punish them. But the term juvenile delinquency itself has come to imply disgrace in today's society. A youngster can be labeled a delinquent for breaking any one of a number of laws, ranging from robbery to running away from home. But an action for which a youth may be declared a delinquent in one community may not be against the law in another community. In some communities, the police ignore many children who are accused of minor delinquencies or refer them directly to their parents. But in other communities, the police may refer such children to a juvenile court, where they may officially be declared delinquents. Crime statistics, though they are often incomplete and may be misleading, do give an indication of the extent of the delinquency problem. The FBI reports that during the early 1980's, about two-fifths of all arrests in the United States for burglary and arson were of persons under the age of 18. Juveniles also accounted for about one-third of all arrests for larceny. During any year, about 4 % of all children between the ages of 10 and 18 appear in a juvenile court. The percentage of youngsters in this group who are sent to court at least once is much higher. A third or more of those boys living in the slum areas of large cities may appear in a juvenile court at least once. Girls are becoming increasingly involved in juvenile delinquency. Today, about one of every five youngsters appearing in juvenile court is a girl. In the early 1900's, this ratio was about 1 girl to every 50 or 60 boys.

Working for the Washington, D.C. Public Defender’s Office in the fall of 1995, I witnessed first hand the inadequacies of our legal system with respect to juvenile offenders. I believe that juvenile justice is a worthwhile topic because of its relevance to every member of American society. If we do not help children in trouble today, they will not have the capacity to be functi...

This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system and how it has come to be what it is today. When a juvenile offender commits a crime and is sentenced to jail or reform school, the offender goes to a separate jail or reforming place than an adult. It hasn’t always been this way. Until the early 1800’s juveniles were tried just like everyone else. Today, that is not the case. This paper will explain the reforms that have taken place within the criminal justice system that developed the juvenile justice system.

In 1899, The Cook county in Illinois had established the first juvenile court by new founding research that were spreading across the country in science regarding the development of a child’s mind opposed to an adult, so that was taken into consideration starting in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The main difference between the Juvenile system and the regular justice system was “Civil” mindset aside from being a “Criminal” in the adult justice system. Focusing on the youth and their age, development rather than the crime. So the state can make the best choice for the child just as a guardian would.

The Juvenile Justice system, since its conception over a century ago, has been one at conflict with itself. Originally conceived as a fatherly entity intervening into the lives of the troubled urban youths, it has since been transformed into a rigid and adversarial arena restrained by the demands of personal liberty and due process. The nature of a juvenile's experience within the juvenile justice system has come almost full circle from being treated as an adult, then as an unaccountable child, now almost as an adult once more.

When discussing juvenile offenders, there seems to be a distinct divide between how they should be treated. Some believe such young citizens should be treated with leniency in court while others completely disagree. This raises the question, “Should minors be treated with more leniency than their adult counterparts due to their youth?” Despite that the judicial system has flaws, treating juvenile offenders as adults in a court of law proves to be disadvantageous.

One of the fasting growing juvenile treatment and interventions programs are known as teen courts. Teen courts serve as an alternative juvenile justice, to young offenders. Non-violent, and mostly first time offenders are sentenced by their peers’ in teen courts. Teen courts also serve as juvenile justice diversion programs. Teen courts vary from state to state, and sometimes within the same state. With this program, all parties of the judicial setting are juveniles with the exception of the judge. Each teen court, is designed specifically to meet the needs of the community it serves. Teen courts were created to re-educate offenders throughout the judicial process, create a program with sanctions that will allow the youth not to have a juvenile record, and to also instil a sense of responsibility.