| Juvenile Crime Paper | CJS200 Tony Sanders | | | 12/2/2012 | | Juvenile Court is a court that has special jurisdiction over delinquent and dependent children usually up to the age of eighteen (www.merriam-webster.com). Juvenile courts handle civil matters, usually concerning the care of a child or one whose parents cannot provide for them and criminal matters arising from antisocial behavior by the child. The differences between an adult court and juvenile court are that juveniles do not get judged in front of a jury like in criminal courts. Furthermore Juveniles cannot get bail as they can in (www.lawcollective.org). With my own experience in the juvenile court system I got sent to a shelter care in Salisbury
Juveniles should not be tried as adults in any circumstance. Firstly, children do not have fully developed minds, like adults do which deters their ability of problem solving and reasoning. Secondly, it is a proven fact that adult facilities are not efficient punishments and juveniles sent to these are more likely to re-offend quicker. And finally, sending juveniles to adult centers will ruin their life. Speaker number 2 stated, and I quote, “Juveniles are well aware of the actions they make and should be tried as adults for their heinous crimes.” end quote.
Ron Wilson of Houston stated in the article, “ Kids are Kids- Until They Commit Crime”, “...you want to throw the adult boo at kids...lower the voting age to fourteen”(Lundstrom 9) Kids are restricted from watching pornography, purchasing tobacco or alcohol, or voting, because they are not perceived as having the same mental capacity or responsibility as adults. Double standardizing it by being able to try them as equally as an adult would be an absurdity. There is no congruence on this matter, that is why Mr.Wilson suggested a dramatic idea by lowering the voting age. I kid wouldn’t understand what he or she is voting for, nor do they in court cases. Many people can say a young teen is far from adulthood.
Sadly , more so than not, the core of the family nuclear unit can be tainted. If a child is exposed to this type of dysfunction, they have no other family foundation to model his or her life’s choices and decisions against. When the rode less traveled by is chosen then the child/juvenile meets up with law enforcement within that path. The police come in contact with these children on a number of levels. Generally, the police do not follow the protocol of the juvenile justice system unless it becomes necessary to actually process a juvenile.
Lets face it, kids make mistakes and I think the age for adult prosecution should hinder on the severity of the crime. Any age should understand murder isn't ok. So ultimately, I think it depends on the age. If a 16 year old robs a candy store than he should be given a second chance and be treated as a juvenile. If a 16 years old commits first degree murder than they should certainly be treated as an
They believe that it violates the eighth amendment, ban on cruel and unusual punishment. You never know what the child's home environment is, so maybe that is why they perform these actions. Juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison for committing murder because their brain is not fully developed. From the ages of eighteen and twenty five
The Prosecution Of Juveniles As Adults. The Law states that you are not an adult until you turn 18. Children younger than this age should not be prosecuted as an adult because as a society we cannot choose when someone is responsible for their actions and when they are aware of what they have done. Charging children who commit heinous crimes as adults tends to not work in the long run. Studies made in the United States between 1992 and 2001 found juveniles who were tried as adults were more likely to be arrested again and sooner than juveniles who went through the juvenile system.
The courts put in place to reform the child rather than to serve sentence as justice. Juvenile delinquency is an individual under the age of eighteen and considered a minor that is declared by legal terms to lack the responsibility and cannot be sentenced as an adult. Some examples will be if a child drinks, he or she could be charged, skipping school, practicing sexual activities, or breaking curfew. Status offenders are offenders that are minors that commit a crime that is only written for children. One example is when a child runs away, the child has committed a crime versus an adult running away from home.
The first main point that I am going to discuss is being tried as an adult. Being tried as an adult is far different than being tried as a juvenile, especially when you are between the ages of 12 and 17. According to Laurence Steingberg, adult defendants are more mature, competent, responsible, and unlikely to change his or her way of life. People who are prosecuted in adult trials are likely to receive a life time sentence to jail or in some states, the death penalty. The second point that I am going to talk about is being tried as a juvenile.
Juvenile Delinquency CJS 200 November 4, 2012 Gary Napier There are many differences between juvenile and adult courts. The largest difference is the juvenile justice system makes it a point to rehabilitate instead of punishing juvenile delinquents. However, punishment still must be a part of the juvenile justice system to make sure the juvenile realizes the extent of their crime(s). There are also two different courts for juveniles and adults. Juvenile records are also not accessible as adult records are.