...Should Juvenile Be Charged as Adults in Criminal Cases? Robert Horn Post University The purpose of the Adult Criminal Justice system is to punish offenders according to the severity of the crime committed. The juvenile justice system’s aim is to rehabilitate or mentor the juvenile offenders, in the hope that they can prevent further crimes, and to change their behavior. The motivating principle of the juvenile system is rehab. The reason for this is because juveniles are not fully developed, mentally or physically. Many Juvenile offenders come from broken homes, been abused, or come from bad neighborhoods. Juvenile offenders need a second chance, because they have not even received a first chance. Rehabilitation is the best option for them because of the way they would be exploited and turned into criminals if they were sent directly to prison. If given the chance, the Juvenile Justice System can aid in successfully rehabilitating youthful offenders so they are not inclined to commit future crimes. With this reasoning, juveniles cannot be blamed or accountable for their actions the same way adults are. The Justice System fulfills and important function by establishing standards of conduct. It defines what is right and wrong for people and removes them from the responsibility of taking vengeance out on those who wronged them, which deters the escalation of feuds in the community. The Justice System also...
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...crime, the aim of the juvenile justice system is to apply rehabilitation or mentoring to juvenile offenders in order to prevent further crimes and to change their delinquent behavior. The core motivating principle of the juvenile system is rehabilitation. This is because juveniles are not fully mentally or physically developed; they cannot be accountable for their actions in the same way as adults. Additionally, many juvenile offenders come from broken homes or bad neighborhoods and many have been abused. They need a second chance because many have not received even a first chance. Additionally, rehabilitation is by far the best option for them because of the way they would almost certainly be exploited and turned into hardened criminals if sent to prison. This paper will provide further background to the issue of rehabilitating juvenile offenders, and strongly argue that it is the right approach. The justice system fulfills an important symbolic function by establishing standards of conduct. It formally defines right and wrong for citizens and frees them from the responsibility of taking vengeance, thus preventing the escalation of feuds within communities. The system protects the rights of free citizens by honoring the principle that individual freedom should not be denied without good reason. Rehabilitation has as its objective the return of offenders to the community as cured and viable members of society. The rehabilitation efforts of the 1980s...
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...Juvenile Rehabilitation Shelly Stanko CJS/240 February 26, 2012 Farrell Binder Juvenile Rehabilitation In the previous few decades, the United States justice policy has become more punitive. In particular, in the 1990s legislatures all over the county passed laws under which an increasing number of young people can be charged in criminal courts and incarcerated in adult prisons. Certainly, in nearly every state today, youths between 13 and 14 can be prosecuted and penalized as adults for an array of crimes including non-violent offenses (Kristin, 2009). Punishments have become more severe even in the juvenile system. Generally, it is believed that the rising anxiety among citizens concerning the threat of juvenile crime has propelled this tendency and that members of the public favor this legislative tendency toward severe punishment. However, it is unclear whether this opinion about the right solutions to youth crime is precise. On the other hand, different surveys have found the public favors tougher policies regarding youth crime and punishing juveniles as severely as adults. However, a thorough review of sources of information about public views indicates that the perception that the public favors punishment for youths is largely based on either opinion surveys that pose few simplistic questions or publicized crimes like school shootings. It is possible that analysis of public views...
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...maintain the juvenile justice system as a separate entity from the adult court systems. It must stay separate in both the way cases are disposed and in the way sentence is carried out. Namely, punishment as in the adult system must be avoided and continued to be replaced by rehabilitation. In recent years, there has been intensive debate about whether the juvenile justice system should focus its limited resources on rehabilitation or punishment to curtail the rising statistics in juvenile delinquency. It is my belief that the juvenile justice system should primarily focus on the process of juvenile rehabilitation as opposed to strictly punishment. This paper will include an assessment of law enforcement, court processes, probation corrections, and community services as well as the intervention programs currently available to increase the incidents of juvenile delinquency. In this paper the subject to examine is both sides of the spectrum and try to show that the process of rehabilitation, rather than just straight punishment will provide a more effective solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency. I will be examining some of the arguments that oppose the views of rehabilitation over punishment and attempt to prove that the arguments for punishment are not as valid as those for rehabilitation. This paper will also provide evidence to support the claims that rehabilitation is a more effective way to resolve some of the issues which that are apparent in the juvenile justice system...
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...When an adolescent commits a crime, should that make them an adult in the eyes of the law? Or should their age be considered and acknowledged as a shortcoming of a undeveloped mind, impacting their capacity for not fully comprehending their actions? These questions have plagued the juvenile justice system both in our current time and its history. The choice between harsh punishment or attentive rehabilitation as convictions for youth offenders I think the best choice is rehabilitation because it gives juveniles to another shot. Youth offenders are different from adult offenders biologically and this should pose a greater impact in the sentencing made on the adolescents in the juvenile justice system . Punitive punishment have...
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...Juvenile Rehabilitation is Worth the Effort When looking at the world today, it is amazing how many people are out there committing crimes. It seems every time the news is on, there is another story of an individual committing terrible acts that are against the law. The most terrifying fact of all is that these criminals are not just adults, but young juvenile kids that can be younger than 15 years of age. Unavoidably, people start to think that the justice system and rehabilitation is not working, and that is why there is so much crime being committed. However, if society would just look closer, they would see a world of good being done and a countless amount of juveniles being rehabilitated for good. Getting informed on how the Juvenile System works, hearing testimony from the people on the inside of the justice system, as well as specific citing from a former criminal and learning about the “scared straight” program will make it evident that rehabilitation works. It is important to know as much as possible about the Juvenile System. In order to make a decision on if the system is effective, it is imperative to know how the system works and what the goals of the system are. Following the arrest of a juvenile offender, a law enforcement officer has the discretion to release the juvenile to his or her parents, or take the offender to juvenile hall.(LAO) The county probation department has the discretion to accept the offender or not, in which case, the disposition of the...
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...Minors and Violent Crimes ENG 215 August 27, 2014 Minors and Violent Crimes Juvenile crime has been a national crisis for quite some time. Research from 2010 showed that there were approximately 225 arrests for violent crime offences for every 100,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 17. The violent crimes committed by juveniles has been reported to be at its highest during the after school hours. Research has also shown that approximately 8% of all homicides in the U.S. were committed by juvenile offenders (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). These alarming statistics prove that minors should be held accountable and be tried as adults in the judicial system. Some may argue that minors have a better chance of being rehabilitated but at the same time minors could become “career criminals”. Steinberg (2001) remarks with the following: Variability among individuals older than 12, but younger than 16, requires that some sort of individualized assessment of an offender's competence to stand trial, blameworthiness, and likely amenability to treatment be made before reaching a transfer decision. The U.S. judicial system should treat minors who commit violent crimes as adults to enforce accountability, to prevent repeat offenders, and to deter others. Factoring Accountability Holding teens accountable for the violent crimes they commit by punishing them as an adult is a social complexity but it is incumbent. Some may view a minor being tried...
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...youth offenders to face life in prison without the possibility of parole. The concern of a 10 to 17-year-old juvenile, treated as an adult in court, has provoked considerable debates. Research suggests that the human brain does not reach the final stages of development until age 23, strongly suggesting that a minor does not have the capacity to manage emotions or impulse control in stressful situations. Amending legislation to give juvenile offenders the opportunity to rehabilitate, would not only address public safety, but would also give juvenile offenders the chance to become positive and productive citizens. Life without the Possibility of Parole Imagine sentencing a 10-year-old fifth grader to spend the rest of his or her life in prison. The only civilized country in the world, which does this, is the United States. Legislators have created a blanket of harsh sentencing in response to the public’s outcry to offenses committed by juveniles, such as in the Columbine tragedy. Although, no one can condone the devastating loss at Columbine, all juveniles should not be thrown under the same blanket, but reviewed and treated individually. Currently 11 states prohibit this sentence, which includes New Mexico and Oregon. Many other states are following suit, by introducing legislation to eliminate such sentences for juvenile offenders, including California. California Senator Leland Yee, PhD., introduced bill SB1199, also known as the “California Juvenile Life without...
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...During the late 1800’s early 1900’s youth at one point were locked up with adult offenders, and those that were mentally ill. “Delinquent, neglected, and runaway children in the United States were treated in the same way as adult criminal offenders” (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). They were punished for minute offenses and some for non-criminal behavior simply because there was no other solution. “The adult criminal code applied to children, and no juvenile court existed” (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Because of this Houses of Refuge were created. Houses of refuge were the early introduction to juvenile justice. A house of refuge was ‘the first institution designed to house poor, destitute and vagrant youth who were deemed by authorities to be on the path towards delinquency” (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 2013). They were created and designed by the child savers to target youth who showed signs of delinquent behavior. Houses of refuge were located in impoverished or urban areas. They eventually became overpopulated because it, like adult prisons, was housing delinquent juveniles with not form of rehabilitation. A new plan of action had to take place to correct this system. The top goal of the juvenile justice system is to prevent crime and by juveniles and rehabilitate those that were accused of offenses. The juvenile justice system began finding alternative ways to deal with deviant youth. In 1874 The Society for the prevention of cruelty to children or SPCC was created in...
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...Emerging Research or Policy Issue Related To The Study of Race, Crime, and Juvenile Justice. Ronita D. Hemingway CRJC 352 Special Problems in Criminal Justice Professor Lori Guevera July 7, 2014 The most important emerging research or policy issue related to the study of race, crime, and juvenile justice system is the appropriate actions in the handling of juveniles. Since the start of the juvenile court in 1899, programs and policies have been implemented. Even with the policies and programs that were implemented to deter juveniles, juvenile crimes are still major social issues within our society. As some research has pointed out, kids who display delinquent juvenile behavior early in their youth stages are at a greater risk of offending within their adolescent years. When it comes to race, crime, and the juvenile justice, violence, substance abuse, and mental health are the three main issues that should be focused upon on when dealing with male and female delinquents. Individualized rehabilitation treatment was a highly recognized policy and practice during the 1970s and 1980s. This model focused on the placement of juveniles, who offended, to be placed in a setting that is community-based and less/non-secure. In 1960, the rights of juveniles had rose, which included due process. Due process gave juveniles the right to counsel and their protection against self-incrimination, in which juvenile courts started performing in the same manner as adult courts. Other form...
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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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... In today's society, there are more and more juveniles getting involved in criminal activity. Low self-esteem, poor decision-making and communication skills, association with a negative peer group, and a dysfunctional family unit are some characteristics of delinquent youth creations (Extension Journal, Inc. 1993). With this being said, there are also many different types of juvenile diversion, intervention and prevention programs and resources available for these juvenile to help with rehabilitation. These programs are created to help the youth with criminal activity issues and help reduce to eliminate the rate of re-commitment of these crimes. Within this paper, the author will choose two programs from within the State of Ohio, explain how these programs work and the goals to help reduce juvenile crime and increase the rehabilitation rate. Also discussed will be the objectives and core beliefs of these programs as well as whom the key participants involved. Also discussed will be the services these programs provide for the youth as well as family. And lastly, the comparison of these programs will be discussed and identification will be made on which may be more effective at the reduction of juvenile crime and how that may be true. The two Juvenile Programs that will be discussed will be the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Ohio Cooperative Extension/Extension Service Juvenile Diversion program. Each program provided is great programs...
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...The juvenile court was created in the early 20th century when it was recognized that children and adults are different, and the rehabilitation process for them should be different as well. Until the late 19th century children and adults where tried alike in criminal courts. When a juvenile offender commits a crime it is the responsibility of the state to rehabilitate the juvenile offenders, as well as protect them. Youth crime rates have actually declined over the past twenty years, despite the public’s perception that it has increased. This has led to an overwhelming support that the juvenile court system be restructured to include tougher crime punishment, such as being able to try children as adults. This belief is that children are able to commit the same crimes as adults, and why should they be treated any different. Take for instance that if an adult commits a murder they will likely be in prison for the rest of their life, whereas a child or youth offender would likely be out by the time they are twenty one. Juvenile and criminal courts have many differences but the most outstanding is that juvenile courts tend to focus on the offender rather than the crime itself. Juvenile court is long believed to focus on the rehabilitation of the offender, as opposed to the focus of the crime as in criminal court. With rehabilitation in mind this gives the court much more leniency and flexibility, with options as far as punishment goes to the judge. The main concern in the public’s...
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... In today's society, there are more and more juveniles getting involved in criminal activity. Low self-esteem, poor decision-making and communication skills, association with a negative peer group, and a dysfunctional family unit are some characteristics of delinquent youth creations (Extension Journal, Inc. 1993). With this being said, there are also many different types of juvenile diversion, intervention and prevention programs and resources available for these juvenile to help with rehabilitation. These programs are created to help the youth with criminal activity issues and help reduce to eliminate the rate of re-commitment of these crimes. Within this paper, the author will choose two programs from within the State of Ohio, explain how these programs work and the goals to help reduce juvenile crime and increase the rehabilitation rate. Also discussed will be the objectives and core beliefs of these programs as well as whom the key participants involved. Also discussed will be the services these programs provide for the youth as well as family. And lastly, the comparison of these programs will be discussed and identification will be made on which may be more effective at the reduction of juvenile crime and how that may be true. The two Juvenile Programs that will be discussed will be the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Ohio Cooperative Extension/Extension Service Juvenile Diversion program. Each program provided is great...
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...the child how not to make that mistake again and that it were rehabilitation comes in. This is a lot of people have a discussion on how to raise a child. Is it better to just punish the child with force? Or to rehabilitate the child by teaching the child what he or she did wrong? I say both works when they are used together. In this paper I am going to explain where I stand on the juvenile justice system. I believe by having the juvenile justice system be more focused on punishment it will see a decrees in crime. As a child if you did something wrong and you parents sat you down and told you not to do it again, and nothing else happened would you do it again? Children like to push and push to see what they can get away with, but by punishing them you are setting boundaries. By having a stricter punishments on juveniles we can prevent crime. It the juveniles know what type of punishment they will receive from committing a crime then it might be a deterrent from committing that crime. This works in high schools around the country. Twenty years ago it was not that uncommon for a juvenile to have a pocket knife in his pocket even during school, but times have changed and by bringing a pocket knife to school is a serous offense. Juveniles know this and this prevents them from bring a pocket knife to school. It works in that example and I think it could work with every crime. Punishment is light on every juvenile crime that is committed from the just being delinquent to committing...
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