Juvenile Court Essay - 1138 Words

The first juvenile court was established in Illinois in 1899. In the late 18th century children as young as seven could stand trial in criminal court and could be sentenced to prison or death. The perception of children was later changed and they were viewed as persons with undeveloped moral and cognitive capacities. This allowed the state of Illinois to intervene in the lives of children providing protection and care or supervision. The mission to help children in trouble was clearly stated in the laws that established juvenile courts. This led to the procedural changes between the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The similarities of the juvenile court system and the adult court system are the right to an attorney, the right to†¦show more content†¦Recent national trends in juvenile law have introduced two other mechanisms by which youth may be transferred to criminal court for trial: (a) statutory exclusion and (b) prosecutorial direct file. At the present time, more than half of these states provide a statutory exclusion. In states in which statutory exclusion is an option, age, and crime type (serious offenses such as murder or assault) are automatically outside the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Therefore, the charge is filed directly in criminal court without any input from juvenile court judges (Salekin, 2001). A certification process is also used to certify a juvenile for the prosecution in an adult criminal court. There are several juveniles who contest their transfers to criminal courts and wish to remain in the juvenile justice system. Several important implications exi st for youths, depending on the nature of their offenses, their prior records, and the potential penalties the respective courts may impose (Snyder, 2003). The right circumstances for a juvenile case transferred to a criminal court may have advantages they would not otherwise receive in a juvenile court. There are both positive and negative implications of waivers for juveniles. One positive implication in juvenile court proceedings is considered civil and not criminal allowing the juvenile to avoid a criminal record. There are some court judges who show compassion for the juvenile sentencing them toShow 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 Courts Essay2414 Words   |  10 PagesThere 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 controlsRead 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 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 criti cism concerning the modern juvenile justice system. There are those who are inRead 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. Instead of being tried as adults, children shouldRead 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 in