Juvenile Justice

1356 Words3 Pages

Juvenile Justice Though crime, in general, is on the decline there are specific crimes and group offenders that are actually increasing. Specific crimes such as hate crimes, those crimes motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group, based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation, and juvenile crimes have become escalating debates. Lionel Tate, a 12-year-old boy at the time of his actions, is a suitable case to investigate. Using his case, I will address the increase in juvenile delinquency, the contributions to the malice acts, the severity of the crimes being committed by youth, and possible, yet reasonable repercussions. Lionel Tate, now 14, was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 9, 2001. This harsh conviction was founded on the basis of the beating and death of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. Tate defense lied in the hands of his television heroes, professional wrestlers, whom he claimed he was simply imitating. This argument was not enough to convince the jurors that his actions were an accident. If a defense team was not able to convince a select group of individual that violence on television is becoming more of an issue with youth violence, then how is a nation of parents going to be convinced that television, video games and other public violence is affecting their children. Is every parent going to have to experience what Lionel Tate or Tiffany Eunick's parents experienced to see the effects of a violent society in which children are being raised? Understand that there are more than one cause to juvenile violence. Media and television related violence is only one of the factors. Addressing and trying to correct one issue at a time is going to be the most productive. Take television for example. Lionel Tate was obviously influenced by actions he saw from people, adults, on television. Though not all blame can be put in the hands of the entertainment industry. Other factors including parent control and limitation, and previous behavioral patterns could have prevented Tiffany's death. In the book, Children in a Violent Society, Joy Osofsky makes a strong case about kids and the negative effects of witnessing violence. "Children learn what they see…and they do not learn that violence is bad. Too often, they learn that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict…"(Osofsky, 4). Take a hypothetical situation about Johnny.

William K. Clifford's Unjustified Belief
1279 Words | 3 Pages
There was a ship-owner that was about to send out an emigrant-ship to sea. He knew that the ship was old and often needed to be repaired. He had doubts that the ship could make the voyage safely, and that he should look into the integrity of the ship. By the time it was to embark on its journey, the man had convinced himself that the ship would not have any troubles because it had safely gone through voyages before. The boat ended up sinking on that voyage and the man collected his insurance money and told no tales.
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Juvenile Justice
690 Words | 2 Pages
The problem of dealing with juvenile justice has plagued are country for years, since the establishment of the first juvenile court in 1899. Prior to that development, delinquent juveniles had to be processed through the adult justic3e system which gave much harsher penalties. By 1945, separate juvenile courts existed in every single state. Similar to the adult system, all through most of the 20th century, the juvenile justice system was based upon a medical/rehabilitative representation. The new challenges of the juvenile court were to examine, analyze, and recommend treatment for offenders, not to deliver judgment fault or fix responsibility. The court ran under the policy of “parens patriae” that intended that the state would step in and act as a parent on behalf of a disobedient juvenile. Actions were informal and a juvenile court judge had a vast sum of discretion in the nature of juvenile cases, much like the discretion afforded judges in adult unlawful settings until the 1970s. In line with the early juvenile court’s attitude of shielding youth, juvenile offenders’ position was often in reformatories or instruction schools that were intended, in speculation, to keep them away from the terrible influences of society and to encourage self-control through accurate structure and very unsympathetic discipline. Opposing to the fundamental theory, all through the first part of the century, the places that housed juveniles were frequently unsafe and unhealthy places where the state warehoused delinquent, deserted, and deserted children for unclear periods. Ordinary tribulations included lack of medical care, therapy programs, and even sometimes food. Some very poor circumstances continue even today.
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Juvenile Justice
1319 Words | 3 Pages
In today's society juveniles are being tried in adult courts, given the death penalty, and sent to prison. Should fourteen-year olds accused of murder or rape automatically be tried as adults? Should six-teen year olds and seven-teen year olds tried in adult courts be forced to serve time in adult prisons, where they are more likely to be sexually assaulted and to become repeat offenders. How much discretion should a judge have in deciding the fate of a juvenile accused of a crime - serious, violent, or otherwise? The juvenile crime rate that was so alarming a few years ago has begun to fall - juvenile felony arrest rates in California have declined by more than forty percent in the last twenty years. While California's juvenile population rose by a half a million since the middle and late 1970's, juveniles made up less than fifth-teen percent of California's felony arrests in 1998, compared to thirty percent in 1978; according to the Justice Policy Institute. The juvenile arrests have dropped back, even as the population of kids between ages of ten and eight-teen has continued to grow, and the number of kids confined in the California Youth Authority (CYA) has fallen. With all the progress our society has made in cutting back in juvenile crimes there is still a very serious problem. But if locking kids up is the best way to address it, how do we explain a drop in crime when there are more teens in California and fewer in custody? First we must look at the economy around us. With so many job opportunities available more and more teenagers find honest ways to keep busy and make money. Our generation has a brighter future than the generation a decade ago. Next we look at successful crime prevention efforts: after-school programs, mentoring, teen outreach programs, truancy abatement, anti-gang programs, family resource centers. There is evidence that these programs are beginning to pay off. Sending more, and younger teens through the adult court system has been a trend across the country in reaction to crimes, such as school shootings and violent rapes. Yet evidence shows that treating youth as adults does not reduce crime. In Florida, where probability wise more kids are tried as adults then in any other state, studies found that youth sent through the adult court system are twice as likely to commit more crimes when they're release...
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The Juvenile Justice System
1154 Words | 3 Pages
The historical development of the juvenile justice system in the United States is one that is focused on forming and separating trying juveniles from adult counterparts. One of the most important aspects is focusing on ensuring that there is a level of fairness and equality with respect to the cognitive abilities and processes of juvenile as it relates to committing crime. Some of the most important case legislation that would strengthen the argument in regard to the development of the juvenile justice system is related to the reform of the justice system during the turn of the 19th century. Many juveniles were unfortunately caught in the crosshairs of being tried as adults and ultimately receiving punishments not in line with their ability
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The Harmful Effect of Television on Children and Teen-agers
1284 Words | 3 Pages
Youth and children are picking up on these behaviors daily. Studies have shown that by the age of 18, the average American teen will have viewed around 200,000 acts of violence on television. The violence and sexual content that television and music are now portraying has negatively influenced younger children and teens to commit murder, exhibit aggressive behavior, and become tolerant of violence and sex. The negative influence television has begun to have on children is unreal. Americans seem to ask themselves what brings about such things as the Columbine shootings, eleven-year-olds murdering toddlers, and an increase in teen rapes.
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Homeschooling Essay
2138 Words | 5 Pages
Homeschooling offers students a more time efficient education that allows the student to focus on education in which is the sole purpose for school. Homeschooling also gives the teacher a thorough evaluation of a student’s strengths and weaknesses by visually seeing what subjects they excel in and what subjects they are weak in. At this point students can increase their individual progression in each subject. Homeschooling permits control of the environment a student learns in to retain the focus of the student. This will reduce the chances of drug usage, bullying, and violence. Samuel Blumenfeld said this on the importance of homeschooling “The home is a safe haven for the children in a world awash with drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, violence, and moral corruption” (Cindy Mur et al.76). When parents come to realize that the home is the safest place for their children, then will they act as Blumenfeld concludes “I look forward to the day when the public schools will be virtually empty not because we have abolished public education but because the parents will have abandoned it” (Cindy Mur et al.
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Persuasive Essay On The Death Penalty
1657 Words | 4 Pages
For centuries, the death penalty has been used by nations throughout the world. Practices such as stoning, the guillotine, firing squads, electrocution, and lethal injections have all been common practices to condemn criminals who had enacted heinous crimes. In concurrent society, however, capital punishment has begun to be viewed as a barbaric and inhumane. From these judgments, arguments and controversies have erupted over whether or not the United States should continue to practice the death penalty. With advocates and critics arguing over the morality of the death penalty, the reason to why the death penalty exists has been blurred. Because of the death penalty’s ability to thwart future criminals through fear and its practical purposes, the practice of capital punishment should continue in the United States.
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Juvenile Justice: Restorative Justice
1116 Words | 3 Pages
Over the years many laws and policies have been created and altered. As a result many activities have become illegal. With so many laws in place now, juvenile crime is also on the rise. More and more juveniles are being sent to prison than ever before. The goal of the juvenile justice system was to rehabilitate but now it is more focused on punishment. However, many rehabilitation programs are still in place to help delinquent juveniles get back on the path to becoming successful productive members of society. One program that comes to mind is the restorative justice program.
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The Presentation Of Jesus Christ In Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ
709 Words | 2 Pages
Due of this, the film lacks much explanation of the significance of the crucifixion of Jesus. While it gives a good description of the crucifixion itself, it does not show why this event was so significant. This relates to our work this semester in learning about Jesus, but mostly because of its description of a historical event (albeit dramatized), rather than showing the significance of that event. In general the film does a good job of portraying the immense suffering of Jesus before and during the crucifixion, with Jesus coming across as a deeply sympathetic character. However, it does not depict the Jesus and the crucifixion its their theological
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Homeschooling Essay
1060 Words | 3 Pages
Homeschooling greatly diminishes the peer pressure a student receives from peers at a traditional school. This enables students to focus on studies rather than trying to fit in or impress others. Kids are able to learn material and pass material at their own pace when being homeschooled. Students do not have to spend a week of class time to learn a particular lesson like in a traditional classroom setting. The student would be able to learn the lesson in a few hours. Homeschool students are more likely to advance at a faster pace, therefore, learning more in a homeschool setting. Parents and students of homeschooling also do not have to work their schedules around the schools schedule. The student has more independence to wake up at a more appropriate time and perform better in their studies. The amount of sleep preteens and teens get, and the time classes begin, are critical to how they perform in those classes. Also, no time is wasted in homeschooling. Many times in a traditional school students are assigned homework that is meaningless, or “busy work”. Homeschoolers do not receive busy work, and can make better time of their learning by doing the necessary work that they personally need. Homeschooling does provide positive results. A nationwide peer-reviewed research project shows that on standardized tests homeschool students perform in average of the 60th to the 88th national percentile. Whereas, traditional school students only perform at an average of the 50th percentile on standardized
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Pros And Cons Of Homeschooling Vs Public School
702 Words | 2 Pages
One of the many advantages of homeschooling, as compared to public schooling, is that it does not matter when or where the learning takes place. Homeschooling does not necessarily have to be only formal sit-down lessons, but instead, can be anywhere that lends itself well to a productive learning environment. For example, a Biology lesson could take place at a pond, with the child examining and learning about invertebrates or ecosystems. Starting in the mid-2000’s, thousands of homeschooled students completed standardized tests for purposes of assessing their academic standing. Results showed that children who were homeschooled had a higher level of academic success than children who went to public schools (Aasen
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The Justice Model For Juvenile Justice
1391 Words | 3 Pages
Youth justice is a complex concern. There are many different ways to approach it — and just like anything else, everyone believes that their model is the most effective for reducing crime. Q’oranka Kilcher, an American actor once said “[…] it’s important for us as a society to remember that the youth within juvenile justice systems are, most of the time, youths who simply haven 't had the right mentors and supporters around them - because of circumstances beyond their control.” This seems fair. Youth may not be able to control their circumstances, but should they be responsible for their own actions and be punished? Or, should they be supported and encouraged in order to get rehabilitated? Different opinions influence different models. Four
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What Is Homeschooling Essay
1270 Words | 3 Pages
Homeschool versus public school has been the age old debate. The argument has always been whether homeschooling can be more beneficial to a child than attending public school. There are always some advantages for a child who is homeschooling but there are also a lot of disadvantages to. The decision on whether a family chooses homeschooling over public-school is always up to the parent to make. Whichever one they choose they have to make sure it’s the right choice for their child. When parent decides that homeschooling is right for them, not only is that parents give me up their freedoms and any spare time they would have. The parent also has to have the ability to switch their hats for parent to teacher. This is a very important skill to have
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Negative Effects Of Homeschooling
1141 Words | 3 Pages
Many parents have criticized homeschooling, claiming that homeschooling provides a negative effect on the students’ social life, and trains them to be more secluded from the rest of the “outside world”. However, in an analysis posted by Widener Law Review titled “Homeschooling: Constitutional Analysis in Light of Social Science Research:”, research has shown that “homeschooled students score as well as or better than traditionally schooled children on widely used measures of social development.” In the article, the authors go into development as to just how much the homeschooled students excel vs. the students of traditional schools. In terms of the job life, “Homeschooled adults are also well prepared to participate in the economic realm. They have entrepreneurial skills and make desirable employees”. What this means is that although many critics attack the ideals of homeschooling, there is solid foundation for parents to stand on when deciding their best course of
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Effects Of Homeschooling On Children
1843 Words | 4 Pages
One of the biggest benefits that is associated with homeschooling is that children learn more about what interests them. In public school children are forced to spend a certain amount of time on each subject. Because public school is so structured, children often lose their love of learning. This leaves many parents with this question, “Is there an alternative way to educate our children that will respect their happiness and individuality, and will foster their growing love for learning?” (McReynolds 36). Many parents are turning to homeschooling because then their children can pursue what interests them. If children
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Juvenile Justice

William K. Clifford's Unjustified Belief