...The United States of America’s criminal justice system has two main subdivisions: adult justice and juvenile justice. There were approximately 1.53 million prisoners across America in 2015, and 48,043 of those were juveniles (“Prisoners in 2015”; OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book). People in the juvenile justice system come from all different backgrounds and upbringings. However, it appears that people of some races/ethnicities are more likely to be in prison. This brings up the question: Who is more likely to be in juvenile prison and what factors contribute? Of the various aspects that may impact a person’s likelihood to be in prison–such as age, gender, and sexuality–the one trait that will be focused on is race/ethnicity. So, to answer the...
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...offers are usually the first contact that young people have with the juvenile justice system. And yet in many communities, law enforcement leaders have not been part of the discussion on juvenile justice reform and the development of policies and practices addressing youth. Sometimes it is because they may not see their agency as part of the juvenile justice system. However, it is often because others in the community working with young people have not embraced their involvement” (International Association of Cheifs of Police, 2014, p. VII). Police should maintain absolute authority and discretion when determining the appropriate handling, whether officially or unofficially, of encounters with juvenile offenders. “Many of the situations law enforcement officers encounter in the field are riddled by conundrums or fall into a gray area. Not every scenario is dictated by a strict policy or follow the rule of law to the letter. In any interaction between police and citizens, there will always be an...
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...Jayquan has previous involvement in the juvenile justice system and he has been on probation supervision through the Chesapeake Court Service Unit. He was placed on probation in Chesapeake for a Malicious Wounding charge which was reduced to Assault and Battery. The matter was taken under advisement. On November 20, 2013, Jaquan was placed on six months’ probation, he was ordered to perform 25 hours of community service work, he was ordered to completed anger management, and he was ordered to pay restitution. On July 23, 2014, the Chesapeake Court Service Unit ended involvement based on no new charges, completion of aggression replacement therapy and graduation from high school. Jayquan’s legal history includes three intake contacts and he...
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... |SYLLABUS | | |College of Criminal Justice and Security | | |CJA/374 Version 3 | | |Juvenile Justice Systems and Processes | Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course is a general orientation to the field of juvenile justice, including causation theories and the development of system responses to delinquent behavior. The problems facing juveniles today are addressed, and adult and juvenile justice systems are compared, including initial apprehension, referral, and preventive techniques. Specific issues examined include chemical dependency, mental illness, and compulsive and habitual offenders. Special attention is given to the problems inherent in the police handling of juveniles and the function of juvenile courts. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website...
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... |Course Syllabus | | |College of Criminal Justice and Security | | |CJA/374 Version 3 | | |Juvenile Justice Systems and Processes | Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course is a general orientation to the field of juvenile justice, including causation theories and the development of system responses to delinquent behavior. The problems facing juveniles today are addressed, and adult and juvenile justice systems are compared, including initial apprehension, referral, and preventive techniques. Specific issues examined include chemical dependency, mental illness, and compulsive and habitual offenders. Special attention is given to the problems inherent in the police handling of juveniles and the function of juvenile courts. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website...
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...Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Introduction Juvenile and adult courts have different language barriers that separate the two. Juvenile courts tend to use words such as detention hearing, petition, and adjudication to make things seem less harsh. Adult courts use words such as bail hearing, complaint or indictment, and the verdict. Adult courts deal with a stricter sentencing than juvenile courts do. Juvenile courts take the approach of a more controlled approach. Adults are taught to live a healthy and productive life, unlike minors. Juveniles have been reinstated so that they can be released back into society with a fresh start. The languages for juvenile courts are different than that of adult courts. Here are the different languages that separate juvenile courts from adult courts: Adult Courts • Bail Hearing • Trial • Complaint or Indictment • Defendant • Verdict • Guilty Juvenile Courts • Detention hearing • Fact-Finding Hearing • Petition • Respondent • Adjudication • Delinquent or Involved In juvenile courts they don't get a jury; instead the judge is the only person who determines if a minor has broken the law and what his or her punishment will be. The courtroom is closed to the media as well as to the general public. Juveniles are more prone to probation for longer times than adults. (#2)A juvenile's conditions of them being on probation tend to be obnoxious, including having a curfew, getting adequate grades...
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...Future of the Juvenile Justice System The future of the juvenile justice system is uncertain. There is a struggle to try a find a way to serve the needs of the juvenile delinquents and issue them a punishment for violating the law. In order to improve the direction of the juvenile justice system, recommendations are needed regarding community involvement, law enforcement, courts, corrections, and the private sector. These recommendations address issues that the system is currently facing and offers solutions for the future. A justification of the system is also offered based on the histories, trends and causation theories. Community Involvement Community involvement is an important aspect of the juvenile justice system. Police form communities ties through their involvement and contact with those in the community. Juvenile attitudes and perceptions of police are based on several issues. Weakened community ties, fear of crime, and higher levels of strain contribute and create negative juvenile attitudes towards law enforcement. Individuals that do not have contact with the police tend to have the highest perception of law enforcement. In an analysis of juvenile attitudes, it was found that juveniles that had contact with police through prevention programs had similar attitudes towards the police as those that had no contact with law enforcement (Brick, Taylor, & Esbensen, 2009, p. 493). Adjudicated youth with disabilities transitioning back into the community are also...
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...concerned with juvenile diversion programs in the State of Texas and whether they work in reducing recidivism rates among offenders of both minor crimes as well as serious crimes. The study looked at four different treatment programs and the services provided by each. All juveniles were referred to the diversion programs following a preliminary hearing within the court system. This project ran from January 2017 until December 2017, during which time 562 youth were referred. The recidivism rates for each program type were calculated 24 weeks post diversion program through self-administered surveys as well as a review of court cases and a statewide warrant check. I. Introduction The juvenile justice system was created...
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...Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper Cristal Irvin CJS/245 April 7, 2015 Samantha Brown Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper At one point in history there was only one system of justice for the people of the United States. As time went by, the justice system shifted into two structures which are known as the Juvenile and Criminal Justice System. It was recognized that children and adults were not committing the same crimes. The states responded to this issue by establishing a system that differentiates juveniles from adults by creating the juvenile court system. The Juvenile Court is a complex structure that in order to understand it, one needs to know the process of when a juvenile enters the system. The American Juvenile Justice System is put into place to focus and manage juveniles who are caught and convicted of crimes. The system is formulated by agencies that consist of police officers, prosecutors, juvenile courts, probation officers, and the Department of Juvenile Corrections. The system functions by agencies taking various steps when dealing with a juvenile. The first step is determining who is a juvenile. In most states a juvenile is considered a child between the ages of ten and eighteen and in some states they can set the maximum age as sixteen. When a police officer encounters a juvenile that has committed a crime the police officer has several options on handling a juvenile who has committed a delinquent act. Depending...
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...Juveniles being tried as adults Student’s name University affiliation Juveniles being tried as adults Introduction The first juvenile court started in the United States of America in 1899. The two basic principles on which the court juvenile court were founded are one, and juveniles were not mature enough to take responsibility of their actions compared to adults and two, it was easier to rehabilitate juveniles as compared to adult criminals (Grisso & Schwartz, 2000). In more than a century, these principles remained the benchmarks of the juvenile courts as they expanded from Chicago, their original birthplace, into other states and eventually in other parts of the world. However, in the recent year rising incidences of juvenile criminals being tried as adults has increased as it was before the advent of the first juvenile court. Much of this stems from the public outrage against the children who, in high numbers, are engaging in violent crimes. Many countries have adopted legislation that permits them to juveniles to be tried as adults. In some countries, there are provisions that allow prosecutors to try children as young as 14 years under certain circumstances (Grisso & Schwartz, 2000). Juvenile courts establishment aimed at separating the youthful offenders from the adult criminals and thereafter processing and rehabilitating them in forgiving and less punitive manner compared to the adult criminal system (Redding & Fuller, 2004)...
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...|Trying Juveniles as Adults in Criminal Court: An Analysis of State Transfer Provisions Report, December 1998 Patrick Griffin Patricia Torbet Linda Szymanski National Center for Juvenile Justice Shay Bilchik, Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [pic] Table of Contents Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Transfer Provisions Waiver Direct File Statutory Exclusion Reverse Waiver Once an Adult/Always an Adult Additional Analyses Transfer for Nonviolent Offenses Additional Pretransfer Findings Required Clear and Convincing Evidence Standard Special Transfer Treatment Based on Prior Record Devices To Limit Prosecutorial Discretion Minimum Age Provisions Appendix: Summary of Transfer Laws Share With Your Colleagues Publications From OJJDP List of Tables Most States Have a Combination of Transfer Provisions Summary of Transfer Provisions, 1997 Discretionary Waiver: Minimum Age and Offense Criteria, 1997 Mandatory Waiver: Minimum Age and Offense Criteria, 1997 Presumptive Waiver: Minimum Age and Offense Criteria, 1997 Direct File: Minimum Age and Offense Criteria, 1997 Statutory Exclusion: Minimum Age and Offense Criteria, 1997 Minimum Age and Offenses for Which a Juvenile Can Be Transferred to Criminal Court in...
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...Internet Article Analysis Kevin Jackson CJA/454 March 09, 2016 Professor: Charles Davis Internet Article Analysis In this essay, I will address the central idea of the article and the reasons behind my choice. I will also discuss the author's conclusion and his/her recommendations. Then finally, I will address my findings for this article and what recommendation I believe should happen. Overview The Internet Article that I have chosen is from the Virginia's Department of Juvenile Justice. In this article, the Director of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Mr. Andrew Block has proposed a $66 million plan to the Virginia legislators in the hope of building two new detention facilities that will focus more on rehabilitation, counseling, and various services. Mr. Block told legislative budget writers Monday that the new facilities that he plans to build will probably pay for themselves. Shortly, Mr. Block also stated that his $200 million operating budget will spare new annual cut which will help return shift resources to rebuild prevention and treatment program that has had substantial cut over the last ten years. In spite of some pushback from the legislative committee the vice chairman of the committee, Mr. Steve Landes admitted the plans sounded doable. Into furthermore better his case Mr. Brock bought statistic that showed why the DJJ wants to focus more on rehabilitation instead of the “Old sprawling and expensive” way like...
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...History of Juvenile Justice System Roger King University of Mount Olive Juvenile Justice Systems and Processes CJC 310 Timothy Malfitano February 7, 2015 Abstract This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system. I started this paper by looking at the history of the juvenile justice system, which showed how laws and legal measures involving juvenile offenders have an extensive history. There were no isolated courts or laws, and no services for juveniles, up till the 19th century, children who committed serious offenses were punished and restrained in prison the same way as adults. The changes in legislation rose the age at which individuals officially became adults. This change helped many juveniles escape the cruel treatment in the adult prisons. These changes were based on new understanding of the relationship between physical, mental maturity and acknowledgment. The American juvenile justice system has evolved over the past century with variation that embellished from the adult criminal justice process. The first juvenile's court was acknowledged in 1899, in Chicago, Illinois, and by1945, all states had juvenile courts. The juvenile crime rates particularly homicide rose during the 1980s and 1990s. Therefor the system faces a vast of questions about whether young offenders should be tried and sentenced in a different way than adult offenders (Lawrence & Hemmens, 2008, Chapter 1). The juvenile courts wanted to turn young felons into...
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...Delaware’s Juvenile Justice System as compared to Other State’s Juvenile Justice Systems Ashley The juvenile justice system, just like the justice system for adults in the United States, could benefit from undergoing a few changes. Delaware is one of the states where juvenile justice policies are extremely complicated and usually result in many people losing hope and giving up, meaning a higher recidivism rate amongst our youth. The purpose of this memorandum is to propose five changes the state of Delaware could make within its juvenile justice system that would benefit the juveniles, the law enforcement officials, and the public alike. One of the first changes Delaware can take to make their juvenile justice system stand out from other states is to remove the mandatory rules to charge some juveniles as adults. Currently, only four other states do not utilize mandatory rules for sentencing juveniles as adults (Trying Juveniles as Adults, 1998). This may seem like an easy way out for some juveniles who have committed more serious offenses, but it’s important to remember that these juveniles are, in fact, still juveniles. They haven’t fully developed mentally, physically, psychologically, etc., and it’s unreasonable to charge them as adults for crimes that they have committed as juveniles. Focusing on rehabilitation for our juveniles should be a main priority, not locking them away for years on end and depriving them of services such as substance abuse counseling and...
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...Juvenile Offenders with Mental Health Issues Adolescence is a critical time of development. During this period there are significant changes in brain development, emotions, cognition, behavior, and personal relationships. It is during this time that most major mental health disorders appear, many of which carry over into adulthood. Behavior patterns such as substance abuse also often develop during this time and may continue throughout adulthood. Many adolescents struggling with mental health issues begin to exhibit symptoms such as acting out at home or in school, showing a decreased interest in activities that they previously enjoyed, or bringing home poor grades. Others ultimately are charged with offenses ranging from status offenses for things such as skipping school, to misdemeanor offenses such as burglary or possession of a controlled substance, or even more serious charges. In Iowa, adolescents exhibiting behavioral issues become involved in the Juvenile Court system, which seems overwhelmed with the volume of cases to be heard, and does little to address the mental health needs of its clients. This paper will discuss the federal legislation developed to protect youth in the juvenile and criminal justice system and address delinquent behavior, the volume and types of offenders, the limitations of the current Juvenile Justice System, and proposed modifications to the organizational structure of the system. Status offenders are juveniles charged with an offense...
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