Juvenile Courts Essay - 2414 Words

There is ongoing debate as to what should be done with juvenile courts. Should juvenile courts be abolished or just reformed? There are a number of reasons offered for each viewpoint, and the ultimate goal is trying to figure out which option would be most beneficial for juveniles. Juvenile delinquency is a continuous problem in the United States. It is also considered an issue that all of society needs to take part in trying to solve or at least diminish. Despite the number of social controls that can aid in dealing with delinquency much of the burden is placed on the juvenile justice system. It is well understood that the juvenile courts have a lot of imperfections. These imperfections are what caused the calls for reform or†¦show more content†¦This shift has caused more focus on an individual as a criminal rather than the innocence of a child. It also caused movement away from rehabilitation, which was meant as a way to prevent future criminality. More emphasis has been placed on strict social control and incarceration (Hickey, 2010). In a sense reforming back to the original objectives of juvenile courts is seen as one of the better methods to try and achieve. As of now the juvenile court system is suffering from a boomerang effect in which the same juveniles are continuously reoffending. The point of rehabilitating juveniles when they are in adolescence is to try to prevent adult criminal behavior. Juvenile courts have failed to substantially make an impact on juvenile delinquency as they are now and reforms may not be enough to make a significant impact. Ultimately, a bigger change may be required. In addition to the rehabilitative aspect is the social welfare aspect. The juvenile courts lack the means to provide social welfare for children. This issue was created because of state agencies having the â€Å"control over the institutions and programs to which judges send delinquents,† rather than juvenile courts having the control (Hickey, 2010, p. 148). The lack of resourcesShow MoreRelatedThe Procedures Of Juvenile Court1150 Words   |  5 PagesThe Pretrial Procedures of Juvenile Court Detention hearing process has been frown upon and detested ever since juvenile courts were created. The original purpose of detention was to hold the juvenile in a secure location until intake could review the child’s case and make a decision. Intake process is extremely useful to juvenile court and holds for several purposes. Case dismissal, informal adjustments, informal probation, consent decree, and petition are the five procedure purposes that theRead MoreJuvenile Court Vs. Adult1452 Words   |  6 Pagespunishment they deserve the same. The difference between juvenile court and adult court have been distinct. The issue has been a controversial one for a long time. The two justice systems, juvenile court and adult court have been long established for decades. Both involve people accused of crimes with the basic individual rights in the court. According to Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, it stated, â€Å"Youth may be held under juvenile court jurisdiction from age 12 until age 21, or until age 25 ifRead MoreFavor Of Abolishing Juvenile Court1061 Words   |  5 PagesProponents of abolishing juvenile court claim that all crimes should be treated the same and children are no exception. They also claim that because a punishment is supposed to fit the crime teenagers who have committed high-level crimes deserve to be tried as adults. Another popular claim is that the adult court system lowers juvenile recidivism. What these individuals fail to see is the psychological trauma that adult courts have on adolescents. Ins tead of being tried as adults, children shouldRead MoreJuvenile Justice System And The Juvenile Court System1742 Words   |  7 PagesThe juvenile justice system varies from the adult justice system in many ways. For more than a century, the states have believed that the juvenile justice system was a means to ensuring public safety, by establishing and implementing a system that responds to children as they are maturing into adulthood. Today’s youths, however, are increasingly committing more serious crimes that in turn are raising the public’s criticism concerning the modern juvenile justice system. There are those who are inRead MoreEssay on Juvenile and Adult Courts1740 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Zanetta Eave, Tasha Harris, and Lee Blackmon CJA/374 July 29, 2013 Cory Kelly Introduction The â€Å"Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis† paper will compare juvenile courts with adult courts. This paper will present an overview of the juvenile justice system, a point-by-point comparison between juvenile and adult courts. The adjudication process by which a juvenile is transferred to the adult court system. This paper will also discussRead MoreEssay on Juvenile Drug Courts1864 Words   |  8 Pages Drug Courts came about as a result of a backlogged court system and a steady, rapidly increasing prison population. Drug courts are a form of diversion that helps the offender through rehabilitation and the community through an increased sense of protection, which serves the best interest of everyone. Drug Courts are community based intermediate sanctions that incorporate treatment principles into the Criminal Justice System and divert drug offenders from traditional punishments of probationRead MoreJuvenile Justice Systems Courts and Corrections2319 Words   |  9 Pages Across the United States, the juvenile justice system’s courts and corrections are scattered with ineffective strategies that are formed which instead increases crime, the nation’s youth are endangered and the future of this country are damaged, billions of taxpayer dollars are put down the drain, and most importantly our mission for equal justice under the law is compromised. Over the past couple of decades, our understanding of how to take on delinquency has expanded in many different forms suchRead MoreJuveniles Should Be Tried During Adult Court1383 Words   |  6 PagesRaven Leal Ms. Huber AP Lang/Comp 6 6 March 2015 Juveniles Should Be Tried in Adult Court Kenzie Houk had everything going for her. She was twenty-six, engaged to the love of her life, and was eight-and-a-half months pregnant. In the late winter of 2009, her four-year-old daughter waddled in her bedroom, hoping to surprise her mommy with a good morning smile. Instead, she found her mother with a bullet through her head. Eleven-year-old Jordan Brown, the soon-to-be stepson of Kenzie Houk, was arrestedRead MoreThe Juvenile Court System is Distinct from Adult Courts Essay example1947 Words   |  8 Pagesassistance of counsel (Thrown Away, 2005). Medina’s story was featured in the 2005 series â€Å"Thrown Away† published by Human Rights Watch. The Juvenile Court System is Distinct from Adult Courts How can a 15 year old boy be sent to an adult prison for the rest of his life? In order to answer that question we must first understand the history of the Juvenile Justice System. Social conditions during the progressive era, 1890-1920, were characterized by large waves of immigration and an increase inRead MoreEvaluation Of A Juvenile Drug Court Program1515 Words   |  7 Pagessuch study will be reviewed. The article is an evaluation of a Juvenile Drug Court Program in Lexington, Kentucky. The data that is coming from the Bureau of Justice suggests that juvenile courts process a higher volume of cases today than at any time in the past (Hayden, 2012) These statistics represent the trend in persistently high rates in use of illegal substances among adolescents in the United States and subsequent juvenile court involvement. [The purpose of this study was to examine these