Essay On Status Offenses

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Status Offenses Juveniles find themselves under more restrictions under the law just for being under the age of 18 in most states. It’s important to note that certain crimes may differentiate between states on what constitutes a juvenile violation. These types of violations are known as status offenses. Status offenses are violations juveniles commit that are not applicable to adults (Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), 2014, p. 1). Examples of offenses are truancy, disobedience to guardians, and curfew violations are just a few examples. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) works with local state governments to end confinement of juveniles for status offenses. Research indicates confinement of youth for status …show more content…

The youth that are exposed to some of the more serious situations like domestic violence, sexual assaults, drug usage in the house, and lack of parental care are most at risk (Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), 2014, p. 2). The children will run away from home frequently to escape the troubles at home. The youth are running from one bad situation into another potentially bad situation. From the outside looking in they don’t have an exit without intervention. Without effective intervention, the children are certain to engage in criminal activity that will escalate beyond status offenses; the finished product is an adult offender. Truancy, the most common of status offenses has a negative impact not only on the child but society as whole. A child who is not motivated and encourage to attend school and learn hinders their own opportunity for a chance at a successful adult hood career. Society suffers by another child growing into adulthood relying on social services or paying for the incarceration following criminal behavior. Truancy can be traced to several factors: drug usage, domestic violence, medical issues, learning disabilities, and the most common is the lack of parental guidance (Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), 2014, p.

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