In contemporary times, there is an increasing tendency for juvenile involvement in crime. The frequency and the severity of the crimes has increased so much that there are call for trial of delinquents as adults in extreme cases. The juvenile justice system however has a stronger emphasis on correctional activities and giving the under-age offenders a chance to change and make something useful of their lives. The Crossroads Juvenile Center is a detention facility in New York, it development and operations demonstrate the desire of the juvenile justice system to effects changes in the children admitted to these systems.
In today’s society the youth generation seems to be facing some problems that there is no solution for. Juveniles are participating in many wrongdoing activities that they are not being held accountable for. I see many gray areas when it comes to the juveniles justice system and I strongly believe there should be changes made in order to help these juveniles be deterred from such behavior so they do not continue down a path that can affect the rest of their lives.
In this paper, I will be summarizing and discussing the key points about a bulletin written by The Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention name "Juvenile Arrest 2008." I will also discuss the overall decreased in juvenile arrests and the increase in drug offenses. Included in this paper will be the implication for female juvenile offenders and members of different ethnic including minorities. I will also discuss the increased in the arrest of juvenile females offenders vs. the decreased of male juveniles offenders for violent crimes. I will discuss how the tracking of juvenile arrest could be used as a method to measure the amount juvenile crime.
Juveniles being tried as adults in the justice system face the same penalties as adults, including life without parole, will receive little or no education, mental health treatment, or rehabilitative programming. Transferring adolescents to the adult system is counterproductive and even harmful because adult facilities cannot meet the special needs of the juvenile offender. Trying juveniles as adults they will obtain an adult criminal record that may significantly limit their future education and employment opportunities. This choice to try juveniles as adults put them at greater risk of assault and death in adult jails and prisons with adult inmates. The ultimate outcome of transferring juvenile offenders to adult prisons is overwhelmingly
The juvenile justice system has made numerous of ethical issues when managing juvenile offenders. The issue with the juvenile justice system is the laws and rules that govern it. It has led to years of controversial debate over the ethical dilemmas of the juvenile corrections system, and how they work with youth offenders. The number of minors entering the juvenile justice system is increasing every month. The reasons why the juvenile justice system faces ethical dilemmas is important and needs to be addressed: (1) a vast proportion of juveniles are being tried and prosecuted as adults; (2) the psychological maturation of the juvenile to fully comprehend the justice system; and (3) the factors that contribute to minorities being adjudicated in the juvenile justice system are more likely than White offenders. These three ethical issues that are rising in the juvenile justice system will be further examined.
The term “juvenile delinquency” is fairly new in respect to the world of criminology and the justice system. Until around the 1800s, children and adults were treated equally in regards to the law. In fact, the word “delinquent” was not even used until the 19th century. Delinquency is best defined as “violations of the criminal law by minors” (Agnew 4). However, adults gradually came to the consensus that children do not act similarly to adults and the reasoning behind their actions are not similar to those of adults and therefore should be treated differently than adults, including punishments for law-breaking. Juveniles today have a separate court system that places the emphasis on correcting the behavior rather than punishing the individual.
Gaudio states “Early reformers, convinced that society’s duty was not to confine youth, but rather to save them.” (p. 213). Drug laws are far too strict and based on moral panic and not factual information. Drug use prior to the drug war was not seen as an issue and even though crime rates have been dropping since the 1980s, when asked, a majority of the population will say that crime rates are increasing. These responses are based on perception, because the media and politics put fear into the perceptions of the public and they play on that fear to gain views and votes. Panic and fear has created harsh drug policies that are a detriment to society and those people they are enforced upon. Everyone should be given a second chance and this applies especially to juveniles. Although legally a juvenile becomes an adult at 18 studies have shown that the human brain does not fully develop until the age of 21. Because juveniles are less developed and historically make poor decisions because of lack of wisdom and experience they should not be locked away, but rather mentored and guided on the proper path. Such as a well structured home and community would develop a child to grow into a functioning member of society so too should the juvenile justice system. Rehabilitation methods should be the primary action taken for any non-violent crime but especially for juveniles
The Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention and Protection Act (JJDPA) was established in 1974 and was the first federal law that dealt comprehensively with juvenile delinquency to improve the juvenile justice system and support state and local efforts at delinquency prevention. This paper will assess the JJDPA and summarize its purpose and implementation and enforcement. Next, there will be a discussion of the historical context of the policy; followed by a focus of the latent consequences. Finally there will be a vignette as to how this Act has affected a person or family as well as personal reflection toward the policy.
Overview: The purpose of the Executive Summary, The Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Executive Summary (Rossman, Roman, Zweig, Rempel, Lindquist, 2011), was to show how Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center (UI-JCP), RTI International (RTI) and Center for Court Innovation (CCI) conducted research on how drug courts impact the overall crimes related to drugs. The main issue being explored is how well the drug courts are doing to help lower crime revolving around the drug epidemic. This issue is significant to criminal justice because it shows that the United States has a serious drug dilemma that started in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that has to be combated by government and law enforcement agencies. This includes the issue you of whether or not drug courts are actually helping reduce crime.
The “Primetime: New Model for Juvenile Justice” video discusses that kids in Missouri commit crimes because the families are not supportive, kids are abused by the parents and feel abandon by their parents, and the new model of the juvenile justice system in Missouri. Most importantly is the fact that the model consisting of programs such the Rosa Parks Center and Waverly Youth Center should be followed or attempted as it shows it works to rehabilitate the kids. Both programs are not a jail but a place in which kids share their problems and feelings in a small group setting. Missouri Juvenile Justice system knew that the traditional juvenile jail did not work in Missouri so the creation of these youth centers to work with kids’ behavioral problems.
For generations, the argument whether juveniles should be waived to adult courts or not has been a prevalent one in our society. Some agree that waiving the juveniles to adult courts will reduce their recidivism rate, due to the harsh sentences and a lifelong record next to their name. However, in light of the argument these individuals fail to consider that the level of maturity of the juvenile is not the same as an adult. The cognitive development of the juvenile is still in process when they are underage, causing them to act impulsively without thinking about the consequences of their actions. In this paper, I will provide information as to why waiving juveniles to adult courts only causes their recidivism rate to increase rather
The book provides various opposing viewpoints regarding the cause of juvenile crime and how the criminal justice system should treat juvenile offenders. Each argument highlights the main risk factors for juvenile crime. For example, gang plays a large part of juvenile violence. Some teens become gang members because they feel a sense of belonging and protection. Therefore, the community should focus on building strong relationship and positive role-models. Other critics claim adult prison is not appropriate for juvenile offenders and should find better alternatives.
According 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
The juvenile justice system is used to deal with youth (primarily under 18) who have committed a crime, this is handled through police, courts, and correctional involvement. The main goal is rehabilitation vs punishment and involves many systems such as probation officers, social workers, the police, and the courts. It had been found that juveniles with involvement in the juvenile courts often suffer from mental health problems and is often the source of their delinquency. “Approximately 50–70 % of youth involved in the juvenile justice system (JJS; about 1.4 of 2.4 million adolescents annually; have a diagnosable mental health condition and rates of psychiatric disorder tend to be higher among residential or detention facilities than at probation
The district attorney's office determines whether to prosecute the crime considering the community resources, and community values. The youth may leave the juvenile justice system after apprehension and conviction. Educational and recreational programs include drug prevention, treatment and counseling service. (Jurisdictional Technical Assistance for Juvenile Corrections) Juveniles that are involved in the programs will have no further involvement with the juvenile justice system.