The Juvenile Justice System

Research 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.

In the article “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried as Adults” written by Laurence Steinberg, Mr. Steinberg debates that the government should reevaluate how juveniles are punished in the court system. Mr. Steinberg mentions that in modern society’s approach to sentencing minors is to reduce the severity of the crime or treat the offender as an adult. Laurence gives many points as to the minor’s development, both mentally and physically, which may hinder their judgement and understanding of their actions. He also emphasizes on the lack of fairness in the court system for non-violent crimes in regards to minors.

This 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.

Teen Court Teen court also known as youth courts is a juvenile justice system program that permits teens to try and sentence their fellow peers for committing minor and status offenses. The main purpose of the teen court is to make young offenders accountable for their wrong doing by paying the price for their offences. However this system keeps first time offenders away from the Juvenile system and gives them a chance to change. In order for a youth to be considered to serve on a teen court, the young individual must be 8th to 12th grade with good academic standing, the teen must be nominated by teacher, parent or him or herself, an application must be filled up and signed with the parent’s approval.

The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) serves as the legislative cornerstone for Canada's juvenile justice system. Governments, police, attorneys, judges, and others are collaborating closely with communities and families across the nation to prevent youth crime and guarantee a just and efficient juvenile justice system. According to the Canadian Constitution, the administration of the criminal justice system is the provinces' and territories' responsibility. Although the federal government is in charge of criminal law, including legislation pertaining to youth justice, For many people, particularly young individuals, mistakes are common. The process of their growth and maturity could potentially lead them to make unthinking decisions at such

I. Thesis 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.

Thesis: Even though adult court systems can teach young criminals the true consequences of their actions better than juvenile faculties, juvenile facilities positively impact their lives by providing them with safety, giving them more attention through the use of rehabilitation methods and deterring children from crime. II. Body: A. Background Info: Within the court system, there lie two divisions –the adult court system and the juvenile court system. In the juvenile court system, most cases are dealt with through the use of rehabilitation methods by changing the child’s lifestyle. ii.

Imagine being a child imprisoned for committing a crime for which you did not understand the consequences. Alone and afraid, with only hardened criminals and psychopaths as adult role models, you live in fear. Through a vicious combination of physical, sexual, emotional, and mental abuse, there is no option but to turn back to crime as an adult, and continue the cycle. This is a daily reality for thousands of American juveniles. Yet, we continue to call it the juvenile justice system.

Although it helped adolescents, it is rarely used today. Another approach was placing a youth in a penal institution this was also known as shock incarceration. It was viewed as an intermediate form of punishment for juveniles, with intent of scaring them into proper

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.

The ones in the juvenile system often reoffend and end up back in the same place. If the juveniles aren’t tried in adult court for serious crimes their punishment won’t be as long and they will commit the crime again and again. The crimes that the children commit would probably go down if they are tried in the adult court. Some of the children that were transferred to criminal court were more likely to be convicted and receive periods of incarceration. If juveniles aren’t tried in adult court they get off of the crime they committed easier.

In today’s world there are countless crimes committed every single day. “In 2015, there were 1.42 million total arrests, at a rate of 3,641 arrests per 100,000 residents” (State of California, Department of Justice). Grown adults are not the only people being arrested every year, there are also juveniles, children, being arrested every day. One topic of controversy today is whether or not juveniles who commit these crimes should be tried as adults in criminal court. There are many differences between the justice system for adults and the justice system for juveniles.

Between 1999 and 2009 more than 60% of crimes committed by children have resulted in cautioned being applied which eventually are wiped from the child’s record. Half of offences committed by children are committed by those aged 15 or under. 1 The ministry of justice state that they do not intend to raise the age of criminal responsibility because it ‘isn’t in the interests of justice, of victims or the young people themselves’ they claim that under 18’s are handled differently and that only 3% of young offenders receive a custodial sentence.

Public policy will need to expand the response of the political system, by focusing on the concerns and needs of the people and push them upon society from the environmental and community persepective. System Theroy protrays public policy as an output of the political system. The practical implications of the juvenile justice system and its social consequences will be evaluated to measure the accomplishments and failures. Developments in juvenile justice policy in the past have shown some great strives that incorporate responsibility, accountability and risk management. However, cultural elements should not be eliminated when considering factors that motivate the formation of juvenile justice policy.

Can 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.