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Social control theories of juvenile delinquency
Describe the criminal justice system
The main roles and responsabilities of the juvenile justice system paper
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Juveniles are handled differently than adult criminals that are being charged with a crime. One theory that explains crime not occurring at a particular activity whether it is juveniles or adults is social bond theory, which relates to individuals and how people have attachments with their selves and others (Jay, 2013). Sutherland addresses four bonds of elements. They include attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Juveniles have stress in their life and these elements could distract them from committing crimes. Attachment is an element that describes the emotion of the individuals when they do not want to disappoint the people they care about. The people they may care about are family and friends who are involved in their decision- …show more content…
There are many branches of the Criminal Justice System that helped make this program successful. “This program was initiated through a Title V grant with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice” (Irons & Jones, 2001). This Teen Court model is organized based on an adult judge model. Moreover, with this model being used it means that there are adults available to make decisions and also to assist with legal issues. The requirements to be admitted to the Denton Teen Court Program are must be 12 – 17 years old, must be enrolled in high school, no higher than class C misdemeanors, and be willing to go through for the program. The teens that are participating in the program must plead guilty to the charges against them. Teen Court is an alternative to paying a fine or receiving another punishment. However, Teen Court is a voluntary program so teens may choose not to participate and will pay their fine. Benefits to the program include dismissal of charges against the teens (upon successful completion of the program), learning from their mistakes, become familiar with the system, and obtain the satisfaction of helping the …show more content…
Many Teen Court programs have similar characteristics. The programs accept first-time offenders that have just committed misdemeanors. All juveniles are required to complete community service and jury duty. There are other consequences as well. For instance, an apology letter, counseling, and possibly educational projects may be required. The United States Senate now annually recognizes September as National Youth Court Month. Teen Court began as a small fledgling program and now is a huge movement for Juvenile Justice. The process of Teen Court is similar to adult courts. Teen Court begins with opening and closing statements by the defense and prosecuting attorneys, and questions asked to the offender. Teen Court program is very beneficial because juveniles are given the opportunity to view their actions and see the effects on others. It is also beneficial because the juvenile is receiving judgment from his
The focus of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate juvenile offenders, rather than to imprison and punish like the systems adult counterpart. According to Caldwell (1961) the juvenile justice system is based on the principle that youth are developmentally and fundamentally different from adults. This has lead to the development of a separate justice system for juveniles that was initially designed to assist troubled juveniles providing them with protection, treatment, and guidance. When performing as it is designed and up to the initial intentions, the juvenile court balances rehabilitation (treatment) of the offender with suitable sanctions when necessary such as incarceration. According to Mack (1909) the focus of the juvenile justice system has shifted from “how can we help the child”, “why did the child commit the crime” to “was the crime committed”. According to Griffin (2008) in some cases juveniles may be required to be “transferred” to adult court. The prerequisites for transfer to adult court are the duty to protect the public from violent youths, serious crime, and the lack of rehabilitation chance from the juvenile court. According to Flesch (2004) many jurisdictions handle the issue of serious juvenile crime by charging juveniles as adults. Charging a juvenile as an adult is done by a method which is called waiver to adult court. This waiver allows adult criminal court to have the power to exercise jurisdiction over juveniles and handle the juvenile’s case as an adult’s case would be tried. According to Flesch (2004) a juvenile is both tried and if convicted of the crime the juvenile will be sentenced as an adult when his or her case is waived from the juvenile court. Waiver to adult court initially was viewe...
In 1899, the juvenile justice court system began in the United States in the state of Illinois. The focus was intended to improve the welfare and rehabilitation of youth incarcerated in juvenile justice system. The court mainly was focused on the rehabilitation of the youths rather than punishing them being that they still have immature ways and still growing. Specialized detention centers, youth centers, and training schools were created to treat delinquent youth apart from adult offenders in adult facilities. “Of these, approximately 14,500 are housed in adult facilities. The largest proportion, approximately 9,100 youth, are housed in local jails, and some 5,400 youth are housed in adult prisons” (Austin, 2000).
In the last 42 years little to no changes have been made to correct the standards that govern punitive measures towards juvenile delinquency. Today juvenile law is governed by state and many states have enacted a juvenile code. However, in numerous cases, juveniles are transferred to adult court when juvenile courts waive or relinquish jurisdiction. Adolescents should not be tried in the adult court system or sentenced to adult penitentiary's on account of: teen brains are not mature which causes a lack of understanding towards the system, incarceration in an adult facility increases juvenile crime, and children that are sentenced to adult prison are vulnerable to abuse and rape.
Confidentiality in many cases focuses on providing a level of protection as well as a focus on preventing harm to the future of individuals that are caught in the crosshairs of the justice system. However, the most important reasoning for confidentiality in the juvenile court is that it is an extension of principles shared by different levels within the courts. It focuses on helping an individual to some extent prevent any further damage, especially if the case is considered to be a minor one. While breaking the law is a major offense in any capacity, there are situations in which a minor offense may have impacts beyond the justice that is the Spence by the court at that point in time.
There has always been controversies as to whether juvenile criminals should be tried as adults or not. Over the years more and more teenagers have been involved in committing crimes. In some cases the juries have been too rough on the teens. Trying teens as adults can have a both positive and negative views. For example, teens that are detained can provide information about other crimes, can have an impact in social conditions, and serve as experience; however, it can be negative because teens are still not mature enough for that experience, they are exposed to adult criminals; and they will lose out on getting an education.
Admittedly, many psychologists define attachment as an enduring, affectionate bond that one person forms between himself and another person throughout life. Mary Ainsworth provided the most famous research: strange situation, offering explanations of individual differences in attachment. However, in this Adult Attachment Style questionnaire that I took, I found many factors relevant to attachment as defined in the textbook. For example, in the textbook, it defines attachment based on Ainsworth research, the strange situation by observing attachment forms between mother and infants. They are described in four attachment styles: securely attached, insecure avoidant, insecure resistant, and insecure disorganized.
Vandergoot determines that the reasoning capacity of an adolescent, the ability to make legal decisions, and filter unnecessary information is unclear to a juvenile in the justice system; the vagueness of youth stepping into the courts prevents them from fully participating in the justice system. ( Vandergoot, 2006). As a result of this impreciseness youth encounter Vandergoot concludes a separate justice system allocated for youth to adhere to adolescent needs. Vandergoot discusses the Youth Criminal Justice Act a justice system devised to adhere to youth needs. She summarizes the system that benefits young offenders in contrast to adult offenders.
...ing with young minds and punishing them in juvenile courts may be of advantage to the young people and at the same time reduce propagating them into developing a violent future in criminal activities. Correctional facilities that address and cater for the juveniles are the way forward to streamlining the youths (Kristin, page4).
This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system and how it has come to be what it is today. When a juvenile offender commits a crime and is sentenced to jail or reform school, the offender goes to a separate jail or reforming place than an adult. It hasn’t always been this way. Until the early 1800’s juveniles were tried just like everyone else. Today, that is not the case. This paper will explain the reforms that have taken place within the criminal justice system that developed the juvenile justice system.
One of the fasting growing juvenile treatment and interventions programs are known as teen courts. Teen courts serve as an alternative juvenile justice, to young offenders. Non-violent, and mostly first time offenders are sentenced by their peers’ in teen courts. Teen courts also serve as juvenile justice diversion programs. Teen courts vary from state to state, and sometimes within the same state. With this program, all parties of the judicial setting are juveniles with the exception of the judge. Each teen court, is designed specifically to meet the needs of the community it serves. Teen courts were created to re-educate offenders throughout the judicial process, create a program with sanctions that will allow the youth not to have a juvenile record, and to also instil a sense of responsibility.
Harassment, reckless endangerment, and burglary are all juvenile offenses. These juvenile offenses almost always stay on the juvenile’s criminal record, and the offenses displayed on a juvenile’s criminal record may cause employers, educators, and other authority figures to think less of the juvenile offender. As a viewer can see, this one mistake or lapse in judgment can ruin the juvenile offenders chance to further their success in life. For example, juvenile offenders may not obtain the dream job that they have always wanted, get into the college that they have always wanted to, or be eligible for a scholarship whether athletic or academic. However, there is a loophole in the juvenile justice system called teen courts. Teen courts give first-time offenders and some re-offenders a second chance because the offense (s) do not go on their criminal record, and their peers get to decide what sanctions the juvenile offender receives or performs. The big question that I am going to discuss throughout this essay is do juvenile offenders who appear before teen courts recidivate?
This is a hearing since the juveniles do not stand before a trial. The hearing will be scheduled by the intake officer. While proceeding to the court, the judge may talk to the people concerned about the juvenile, evaluate any evidence that was collected if a crime was committed or any other complaints against the juvenile, and consider the youth’s previous history if any crimes were committed and how many times the juvenile has been in trouble with the law. The judge will then order an outcome which can result in probation, institutionalization, formal diversion, or even holding the juvenile for charges against him or her. Probation is supervised and the juvenile must stay at home or in a community setting, but must report to his or her officer regularly. The juvenile must follow all probation conditions granted by the court such as obeying the laws, staying in school, staying away from drugs and alcohol and other requirements instructed. Institutionalization is a form of detention system that is to rehabilitate deviant youths. They also serve as a protection for at-risk youths. There are two types of Juvenile institutions: Long-term correctional and short-term temporary care. Long-term includes, for the most part, training schools, youth ranches and camps, and boot camp. They also usually place male and females separately. Short-term facilities include jails, shelters, detention homes, and reception areas. In the facility you also
Attachment is an important aspect through the developmental stages of a child. It is the process through which an individual develops specific bonds with others (). John Bowlby theorized Attachment Theory, which focuses on a behavioral system that demonstrates the response of an adult when a child signals which can lead to a strong trusting relationship (). Through attachment infants develop strong emotional bonds with others, which can result in a more positive outcome later in life.
Due to the increased recognized differences between adults and juveniles in terms of needs and developmental capabilities, offender’s treatment differ depending on whether they are treated in an adult or juvenile court. In the adult court jurisdiction, public safety and retribution are the most salient tenets while in the juvenile courts the best the intentions are intended towards the best interest of the child focusing on rehabilitation. The best goals and objectives of the juvenile court sanctions aim at ensuring that the youth in trial at the juvenile court desists from delinquent behavior and thus easy to be reintegrated in the society once more. This fact is mainly achieved through offering the youth individualized case management programs
Juvenile delinquency is one of the major social issues in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is when “a violation of the law committed by a juvenile and not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Merriam-webster.com). Although we have one justice system in America, the juvenile system differs from the adult juvenile system. Most juvenile delinquents range from as low as the age of seven to the age of seventeen. Once the delinquent or anyone turns the age of eighteen, they are considered an adult. Therefore, they are tried as an adult, in the justice system. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. In addition, there are a variety of effects that juvenile justice systems can either bad effects or good effects. Finally there are many different solutions that can reduce juvenile delinquency. As a result, juvenile delinquency is a major issue and the likeliness of it can be reduced. In order to reduce juvenile delinquency there has to be an understanding of the causes and the effects.