Pros And Cons Of The Juvenile Justice System

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Juvenile Justice
John Reitan
The University of Memphis

When our thoughts turn to the criminal justice system it is only a natural instinct to assume everyone associated with policing, courts, and corrections will have to deal with juveniles sometime in their career. Young people in today’s society can be so easily influenced by social situations, peer pressure, and family members. The courts in the United States are faced with difficult decisions on a daily basis. Sentencing juveniles to adult facilities for their crimes is becoming a common trend in the justice system today; however it is not a deterrent whatsoever. “The current policies of juvenile bind over to adult criminal court and severe sentencing have been unsuccessful …show more content…

Once the juvenile enters adult court, the sentencing should be dependent on the nature of the crime, the age of the individual at the time of the original offense, and the amount of offenses on a juvenile’s record. Finally we come to the pros and cons of a juvenile being waived into adult court. First, “juveniles in adult court find themselves able to have a trial by jury… Depending on the jurors and the seriousness of the offense, a small bit of sympathy might be achievable.” (nolo.com, 2014). In addition, due to a high volume of offenders within the jail or prison, the jury might be inclined to sway the judge towards incarceration in a medium or minimum security facility. In my opinion, some offenders simply cannot be granted a reduced sentence due to the nature of their crime; however, for a select few borderline juveniles, a lenient sanction could be possible. Cons of a juvenile being waived into adult court are: “…more severe sentences, and limited options by the judge in adult court”. (nolo.com). When a judge in adult criminal court imposes a sentence to a juvenile, he or she cannot recommend a variety of rehabilitation or counseling options that are available in juvenile court. The harsher sentence may include life imprisonment in an adult

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