In 1984, a committee recommended that the deinstitutionalization grants to the states be suspended, and the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 contained other “get tough” measures. (McShane, 2003) In conclusion, it appears that as juveniles have gained more due process rights over the last four decades, they have also been treated more like adult criminals. The rehabilitative ideal of the original juvenile court movement has evolved into a policy of retribution; making the punishment fit the crime has become more important than the well-being of the juvenile offender. The current “get tough” philosophy has also resulted in more children being processed as adult
So, while politicians talk about the “desperate prison crisis”, we should think about where the actual desperation really lies. The problem is that we need to stop incarcerating vast amounts of non-violent offenders for 25 years to life. Non-violent criminals with minor offenses should not be dictated under the three-strike law. Even with this simple change in the three-strike law, our society would save more money funding other alternatives such as prime prevention strategies. These strategies include programs designed to reduce repeat victimization in domestic burglary, theft, and any other violence.
There are many laws that come into play with the end result being less crime. They are intended to make punishments harsher for offenders with the hopes that the offender will not repeat crimes. The Habitual Felon Act was developed in order to increase sentencing time for the repeat offenders. This was considered to be a ""tough on crime" legislation that was adopted by the North Carolina General Assemble in the early 1990s" (Young). The law was also adapted in order to get more violent individuals off of the street, instead it filled the prisons with nonviolent, low priority felons.
I will explain why I believe my ways of revamping the Justice system will help and possibly drop the levels of crimes committed by the youth. Immediate Discipline I believe that there needs to be a sterner court system for the juveniles. I have noticed and seen many times something such as theft is just looked at as a petty crime. In the long run the juveniles need to be disciplined for anything that may seem petty because those petty crimes can become bigger and worse crimes. Without immediate discipline we are giving the impression that if they commit a crime only once they can continue to commit other crimes as well because, hey, they will just receive a slap on the wrist if they have never committed it before.
If the offender does not complete the treatment, the initial sentence of incarceration is enforced (Gottfredson, 2003). Reducing recidivism rates will also impact other problems including overcrowding and correctional expenditures. PRIOR RESEARCH Previous
This and the legislators passing more restrictive juvenile codes seems to have an overall beneficial effect on the delinquency rate and that is that it has declined. Specific deterrence is used to send convicted offenders to secure incarceration facilities so that punishment is severe enough to convince the offenders not to repeat their criminal activity (Wadsworth, 2005). Though there are research studies that show that arrest and conviction may lower the frequency of reoffending other
Although politicians claim that the public demands tough policies, moral panics tend to dissipate when the crisis passes. Many around the country would argue because of more serious crimes committed by adults has fashioned an umbrella on the juvenile system which imposes robust crimes for the juvenile themselves. Now when a juvenile has committed a crime, the next step is the procedures of handling the juvenile physically and mental status. Following the arrest of a juvenile offender, a law enforcement officer has the discretion to release the juvenile to his or her parents, or take the offender to juvenile
He is very experienced in criminal law and is against mandatory sentencing. This journal presents information that the mandatory sentencing policy in the U.S. is a failure. It argues that Legislators thought that they could “get tough on crime,” especially drug crime. I feel this source gives educated reasons as to why drug policy needs to be changed. It also backs up my other sources with the same research results; by removing the sentencing discretion of judges, and replacing it with mandatory jail sentences, we are sending more offenders to prison instead of programs designed to rehabilitate.
The juvenile arrest rate for each of these offenses has been declining steadily since the mid-1990s; for murder, the rate fell 70% and manslaughter arrest rate fell 40% from its 1993 peak through 2001. (Snyder, 2003) More specifically, “juveniles were involved in 10% of murder arrests, 14% of aggravated assault arrests, 31% of burglary arrests, 24% of robbery arrests, and 23% of weapons arrest in 2001” (Snyder, 2003). In addition, there were significant decreases in juvenile arrests for property crimes in 2001, which reached its lowest level since the 1960s and juvenile arrest rates for burglary declined 66% between 1980 and 2001. Female Juveniles and Crime The National Center for Juvenile Justice
Future of the Juvenile Justice System Courts: Many changes need to happen to allow a better future of the juvenile justice system. “The elimination of some of the court’s delinquency function as more and more jurisdiction over youth criminality is transferred to the adult criminal system. Another possibility is the removal or reduction from juvenile court jurisdiction of status offenses, including truancy, beyond control of parents, running away from home, and other noncriminal conduct. Instead of utilizing the juvenile court, this type of behavior would be addressed increasingly by community-based services. A third possibility is the juvenile court’s expanding jurisdiction over abuse and neglect cases.Oversight of abuse and neglect cases and of the social service agencies whichdeliver services to families has become a major portion of the work of the juvenile court” (Hanson, 1996) .