Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System

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Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System Colleen Garland Kaplan University Abstract This paper will discuss a brief history of the juvenile justice system along with some of the historical milestones. Some of the more current milestones that the juvenile justice system has reached will also be touched upon. In addition, the current system and the effectiveness of it will be looked at. Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System In the nineteenth century juveniles were treated as if they were adults when concerning the justice system. There were no separate courts or jails for juveniles, which resulted in them receiving the same punishments as an adult. Starting in the early nineteenth century however, society started to slowly change the way it viewed juvenile offenders, bringing about the beginning of the juvenile justice system. During the early years of the juvenile justice system, three major milestones occurred: the child-saving movement, the concept of parens patriae, and the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. In recent years, further reforms to the juvenile justice system have come about. Juvenile offenders are now allowed due process, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention are a few of the major current reforms in the juvenile justice system. The Child-Saving Movement In 1817, prominent members of New York society formed an organization known as the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism. Although the society concerned itself with primarily attacking morally corrupt places, the focus quickly shifted on to helping poor and troubled children in the community. These activists were responsible for creating institutions dedicated to helping juveniles, the most prominent being the House of Refuge (Siegel, 2013, p. 15-16). Juvenile institutions such as the House of
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