Juvenile Justice System Essay
In the beginning of the 20th century, many visionaries strived to recreate American government. They fought for it to become more just, fair, and ethical for all citizens. Visionaries realized that adult courts, laws and policies were too harsh and cruel for juveniles. Because of this, they believed that juveniles should have their own courts, laws, and policies. In the early 20th century, juvenile courts started to appear in America due to the realization that juveniles are not the same as adults. The juvenile justice system was created in order to lead youth away from the adult justice system and more towards a rehabilitative approach than retributive. Sending juvenile delinquents to adult prisons can cause issues for them. Being in the adult …show more content…
In the court case of Roper v. Simmons, Simmons, who was seventeen at the time he committed murder, believed that it would violate his 8th amendment rights if he were to be sentenced to death. The 8th amendment as part of the United States Constitution prohibits the use of cruel and unusual punishments and sentences. The United States Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons ruled in favor of Simmons. The United States Supreme Court explained that sentencing a minor to death was indeed cruel and unusual punishment In March 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty for those who had committed their crimes less than 18 years of age was cruel and unusual punishment and hence barred by the Constitution. Since then, there have been new scientific discoveries that show juveniles should not be charged and prosecuted the same way as adults. According to research performed by the Harvard Medical School, the National Institute of Mental Health and the UCLA's Department of Neuroscience have discovered that the frontal and pre-frontal lobes of the brain are not fully developed in juveniles. These parts of the brain help determine impulse control and judgment. Maturation is not reached until the ages of eighteen and twenty two. This means youth are more likely to act irrationally, make abrupt decisions and choices, and do not think about the after effects that their
1989 The Case Of Roper Vs Simmons
531 Words | 3 PagesKaylee Woolery Mr. O’Rourke Political Issues Tuesday, April 18th Supreme Court Opinion In 1989 the case of Roper vs. Simmons, the US Supreme Court opposed the death sentence and decided against the death penalty for anyone younger than 18. They argued that his 8th amendment rights were being infringed resulting in cruel and unusual punishment for the execution of a minor. Christopher Simmons, a 17-year-old, was arrested and put on trial for the first-degree murder of Shirley Crook. Due to the fact that it was first-degree murder, he was sentenced to death.
Roper V. Simmons Case Study
838 Words | 4 PagesRoper v. Simmons was a Supreme Court case that occurred in 2004. The case was deciding whether or not minors over the age of fifteen were allowed to be sentenced to death. Christopher Simmons was given the death sentence at seventeen years old. He felt that he should not have been given the death penalty because he was not yet an adult. Simmons said that this was violating his Eighth Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court Case Of Roper V. Simmons 543 US 551
593 Words | 3 PagesIn reviewing the Supreme Court case of Roper v. Simmons 543 U.S. 551 (2005), we review the allegation of the violation of the Eighth Amendment in the trial court’s use of cruel and unusual punishment in its sentencing of Christopher Simmons; who was a juvenile at the time of the crime; to a sentence of death. In reviewing the facts of the case, we find that Christopher Simmons, then 17 and a junior in high school, along with Charles Benjamin and John Tessmer, planned the commission of a burglary with the intent to commit murder under the perception that they were minors and as such would be able to get away with the crimes. Upon his capture, Simmons, admitted to the crimes and provided law enforcement with the details of the crimes. Because of his age and the nature of the crime, Simmons was considered to be
Judging Juveniles By Aaron Kupchik Summary
816 Words | 4 PagesResearch has shown that transferring adolescents from juvenile court to criminal court increases the recidivism rate. Thus, exposing minors to adult treatment increases crime. Generally, juvenile detention facilities are equip for rehabilitation, offering programs to aid reformation. Society does not hold youth to the same maturity level of an adult. Furthermore, juveniles are not afforded the same rights as adults (e.g. smoking, drinking, voting) because we understand their inability to make responsible decisions.
Criminal Justice System Essay
780 Words | 4 PagesSince the end of World War Two, there have been dramatic changes in justice models which have had an impact on the Criminal Justice System and the various roles within it. This essay shall go over the various approaches to punishment by looking at the diverse political shifts and the overall impact on the roles of the system. In England and Wales, the criminal justice system is made up of several agencies including the police, prisons and probation services. The agencies enforce the law; the courts system; the penal system; and the crime prevention scheme (Malcolm, D).
Evaluate The Elements Of The Australian Legal System
999 Words | 4 PagesThis is a much less adversarial system. This allows the court to remain relatively informal, with the aim of not isolating the juvenile form the legal proceedings, and allows them more involvement, making the accountable for their actions. In the case of Police v JM (2011) NSWChC 1, the key objective of the sentencing was rehabilitation. JM had breached the conditions of his parole when he was charged with aggravated break and enter resulting in the imposing of the most serious sentence available for juvenile offenders, a control order. To promote rehabilitation, a condition of his parole was rehabilitation for his alcohol abuse.
8th Amendment Purpose
1326 Words | 6 PagesThe Eighth Amendment It’s a late Autumn afternoon and a young fourteen year old boy is told that he has to pay $24,000 bail for stealing a bag of groceries. This is an unreasonable price to pay for the crime he committed. Luckily for us, the Eighth Amendment protects US citizens from unfair situations such as this one. The Eighth Amendment’s meaning and purpose has left an enduring impact on the citizens of the United States of America.
Outline Juvenile Court System
1091 Words | 5 PagesA. Lead-in: Just as adrenaline had rushed through your body as you committed crimes worthy of countless years in jail. A stronger, more consuming feeling of fear pierces at the heart, which once felt pumped pure and fiery blood has now become frozen. The tears that once got you everything you wanted as child are no longer useful. The eyes of everyone in the room glaring at you and your petty crimes send shivers down your back and tears down your cold cheeks. Then, the judge towering over your head once again begins pounding his gavel over and over again making echoes that travel from each corner in the room into your ears.
Teen Court Research Paper
484 Words | 2 PagesAccording to statistics from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “there were seventy-eight youth courts in 1994, and there are now approximately 1,400 youth courts in forty-nine states” ("Fact Sheet: Youth Courts", 1) Comparative, California only had two Teen Courts in 1991 but has since grown to have over sixty different programs. This community-based rehabilitation program has succeeded in hundreds of communities across the country on the grounds that they offer the juvenile offender the opportunity to learn how the criminal justice system works, as well as their rights and responsibilities that are coupled with the system. Recent studies show that teen court participation produces a cost-effective program, accountability in young offenders, better community connections, youth influencing youth, and also prevents further delinquent acts ("Fact Sheet: Youth Courts", 2). With the assistance of restorative justice sentencing and harm reduction alternatives to the juvenile justice system, communities around the United States are taking a practical and beneficial approach to the traditional juvenile justice
Juvenile Justice System Essay
494 Words | 2 PagesThe Juvenile Justice System was a system created over a century ago to prevent young juveniles under the age of 17 to be process and tried as an adult. The Juvenile system was created to let juveniles have an easier sentencing with fair treatments and rehabilitation, but lately the system has been racially biased towards colored juveniles because of their skin color which results the system being unfair towards colored juveniles in the system. The Juvenile Justice System is racially bias towards colored juveniles, because colored juveniles are more likely to receive harsher treatments than their white counterparts, won’t receive enough resources for rehab, and receiving lack of legal representation for trials. Color juveniles are more likely to receive
Roper Vs Simmons Case Study
496 Words | 2 PagesCase: Roper v. Simmons (2005) Rule of the Case: The decision in which the Supreme Court held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed under the age of 18. Facts: In Missouri, Christopher Simmons, age 17, made a plan to murder someone and bring along two of his friends, and one friend ended up dropping out. The plan was to break in and enter, tie up the victim, and toss the victim off a bridge. The case was brought to trial with exceeding evidence. Simmons confessed to the murder, videotaped reenactment of the crime, and testimony from Tessmer, the friend who backed out, that premeditation was involved.
Essay On Ethical Issues In Juvenile Justice
849 Words | 4 PagesThere are differences between a juvenile court and criminal court in the United States. The focus of the juvenile justice system is on rehabilitation, in hope of deterring the minor away from a life of crime so they will not commit a crime again as an adult. In contrast, the criminal justice system focuses on the punishment and often bases the sentencing outcome on the criminal history of the youth. In a study conducted, Butler (2011) showed that the participants’ experience with adult jails and prisons show that those facilities may instill fear but are otherwise emotionally—and often physically—dangerous for youth. Many of the adult prisoners, who were minors when they enter the adult institution, felt they were forced to “grow
Why Should Juvenile Be Treated As Adults
964 Words | 4 PagesJuvenile Justice Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like.
The Juvenile Justice System In In Re Gault
584 Words | 3 PagesThe Juvenile Justice System is the primary system that deals with kids from the age of 10-17 that has committed a crime. The juvenile justice system intervenes with police, court and correctional involvement. From back in the days they had a concept of separating legal framework for juvenile offenders because they had young kids and accused of doing wrong and they were in prison with the adults. In the beginning of the 19 century, they reform the first juvenile house in the United States, which opens 1824; this was the first house juvenile offenders in a separate facility and other states. Researchers and scientist develop in the 18 and 19 centuries that they will not mix youth offenders with adults or punish them similar to an adult than rather just rehabilitating them.
Juveniles Should Not Be Treated The Same As Adults Essay
760 Words | 4 PagesCan you imagine waking up behind closed walls and bars? Waking up to see your inmate who is a 45-year-old bank robber and you are a 14-year-old minor who made a big mistake. This is why minors who have committed crimes should not be treated the same as adults. Some reasons are because the consequences given to minors in adult court would impact a minor’s life in a negative way. If a minor is tried through a juvenile court, they have a greater chance of rehabilitation.
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