...There have been several changes to the juvenile justice system as well as punishments handed down to juvenile offenders throughout the years, moreover, the controversy surrounding the transfer of juvenile offenders to adult court has been the topic of many debates. Interestingly, it was not until 2005, following a ruling by the United States Supreme Court in the Roper v Simmons case, that the execution of persons under the age of eighteen was prohibited (Elrod & Ryder, 2014). Additionally, this case placed restrictions upon governing courts handling the cases of juvenile offenders to limit their ability to issue punishments mirroring those of an adult offense. A harsher stance was taken in an attempt to combat juvenile delinquency in the 1970s carrying into the 1990s allowing more juveniles to be prosecuted in adult courts (Elrod & Ryder, 2014). This approach nearly doubled the number of juveniles being transferred to adult court, consequently, the number of juvenile offenders being transferred currently have declined as equally as they increased by 2009. A large number of juvenile offenders are still being transferred to...
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...The juvenile justice offender intervention would have a better chance to be successful if greater use of evidence-based practice principle and rehabilitative programs followed the ten principles (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). First, the Target Criminogenic Needs principle is a program to assess factors such as crime causing needs, anti-social attitudes, lack of self-control and lack of responsibility. Second, the Target Thorough Assessment of Risk and Need basically governs that a juvenile offender that does not receive proper treatment will repeat their offense. Third, the Base Design and Implementation on a Proven Theoretical Model is enforcing an effective program that focuses on social learning and cognitive behaviors. Fourth, is the Use of...
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...Annotated Bibliography: What the Literature Says About Juvenile Sex Offenders The following articles, factsheets, and studies have been compiled to assist attorneys and individuals working on behalf of youth charged with sexual offending. The information contained in these resources aim to help others realize the fundamental differences between adult sex offenders and juvenile sex offenders, which include positive responses of juveniles to treatment, low recidivism rates of juveniles and negative impact of registries on youth development. It is our hope that this information will be used to improve legal outcomes for juvenile sex offenders, and uphold the purpose of the juvenile justice system as a rehabilitative, not punitive, system. PUBLICATIONS BY TOPIC Recidivism Rates/Amenability to Treatment Judith V. Becker, What We Know About the Characteristics and Treatment of Adolescents Who have Committed Sexual Offenses, 3 CHILD MALTREATMENT 317, (1998). The author states that comprehensive data does not exist to support the notion that if adolescents commit one sexual offense, they will go on to develop a pattern of sexual-offending behaviors or develop a psychosocial disorder. Michael F. Caldwell et al., An Examination of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act as Applied to Juveniles: Evaluating the Ability to Predict Sexual Recidivism, 14 PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY AND LAW 89, (2008). This study compared 91 juvenile males who had been treated in a secure correctional...
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...Juvenile Offenders Juvenile crimes make up an overwhelming amount of arrests in the United States. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported that in 2010, courts with juvenile jurisdiction disposed more than 1.3 million juvenile offender cases. Also in 2010, there were 225 arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses for every 100,000 youth between 10 and 17 years of age (OJJDP, 2012). Violent crime committed by juvenile offenders peaks during the after school hours. Nearly one-third (29%) of all violent crime committed by juvenile offenders occurs between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m (OJJDP, 2010). According to the 2011 Juvenile Offenders and Victims: National Report Series, in 2009, 22% of arrests involving youth who were eligible...
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...predators, but also have to worry about adolescent social offenders-which is on the rise. The background has a lot to do with how a child turns out. The fact that both male and female juvenile sexual predators exist is horrifying by itself. The sexual behavior that leads to sexual abuse can start as young as six years old (Smith, B. 2007, September 19). The thought crosses the mind of all parents. How do they protect their child? Unless they plan on following their child everywhere they go, they can only teach them and watch for the signs of both child predators and their victims. Everyone has to wonder what could cause one child to abuse another child sexually, and if they even understand the consequences of their actions. What will happen to the juvenile offender, will they get off with therapy, or will they go to prison to pay for their crime? The younger offenders are getting therapy while the older predators are going to juvenile detention centers or even to prison. When a child relapses a second time, the child could be sent to a child detention center, jail, or a mental hospital for the safety of the public. Most people are not exactly sure what child on child sexual abuse consists of. The fact is that child on child sexual abuse is when a younger child is sexually abused by one or more older children without consent and without any adult involvement. Children abusing children was recognized as a problem in 1979, when studies were already being conducted on college students under...
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...behavior among juveniles is not a new phenomenon there has been a dramatic increase in the concern of this problem over the last two decades. As the number of juvenile sex offenders arrested increases, the recognition of it as a serious issue also increases. The anxiety over juvenile sex crimes has led to a wide variety of research being conducted to determine if there are antecedent traits in offenders. The tremendous data collected and analyzed to try to understand the factors leading a juvenile to sexually violate has piloted a wide range of theories and also much disagreement among professionals about the appropriate consequences a violator must face. The basic uncertainty of who a juvenile sex offender is can often be difficult to resolve. The fact is that demographically almost anyone has the likelihood to be a youthful offender based on physical traits alone. Currently it is estimated that juveniles account for up to one-fifth of the rapes, and one-half of the cases of child molestation committed in the United States each year (USDJJD, 2000). Reaching a statistical strategy based on demographics is nearly impossible considering that juvenile sexual offending appears to cross racial and cultural boundaries, as well as have no significance in relationship to the religious preference of the perpetrator. It is also notable that you can find juvenile offenders in all socioeconomic class levels. The statistics provided by the United States Department of Juvenile Justice and...
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...Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile delinquency has been on the decline in recent years. The study of the variables, and distinction between the adult and juvenile systems, has helped in the decline. Delinquency is a criminal behavior that is committed by a juvenile. Depending on where in the United States the juvenile lives, they will be considered an adult between the ages of 16 to 18. This age has been lowered for serious crimes like murder. In those cases, juveniles have been tried as adults in court. Delinquency refers to conduct that does not conform to legal or moral standards of society; it usually applies only to acts that, if performed by an adult, would be termed criminal (“Encyclopedia Britannica”, 2013). This helps to distinguish delinquency from a status offense. Status offense is a word used in the United States to describe acts that when committed by a juvenile are illegal, but not when an adult does it is legal. These offenses are considered to be a violation because the individual is...
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...supervising offenders that have been placed on probation by the courts. First time offenders who have been convicted of a crime are placed on probation rather than being sentenced to a prison term. The role of a probation officer is to monitor the behaviours of offenders so that they cannot engage in any further criminal activity. This is done by setting up regular meetings with the offenders and their family members. They work with other agencies that are community based to try and help offenders with a range of services such as employment, housing, and so on. A young offender is a young person that has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offence. The criminal justice system often deals with young offenders to adult offenders. The term young offender is applied to different age group depending on the age of criminal responsibility. In the United Kingdom there are three separate and distinct criminal justice systems; in England and Wales the age set for young offenders is 10 years and in Scotland the age for criminal responsibility is set at 12 (need citation). II. In a study conducted by Brookins and Hirsch (2002) entitled “Innocence Lost: Case Studies of Children in the Juvenile Justice System” the two talks about how the juvenile justice system is ineffective in working with young juveniles in helping them integrate with their families and communities based on reports. They pointed out the juvenile justice system lacks in providing information on the young offenders and family...
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...B) Alternative Approaches Maryland Maryland’s rising juvenile rate has made the state become more of restorative justice and more so a system of graduated sanctions in those sanctions there is three basic goals: public safety and community protection; offender accountability; and competency and character development. In other hand these ideas give Maryland to go to new directions (Simms, 2008). In Maryland the juvenile justice system is different than most states. The “The juvenile court may waive its jurisdiction with respect to a petition alleging delinquency if the petition concerns a child who is at least 15 years old or a child who is charged with committing an act which, if committed by an adult, would be punishable by death or life imprisonment. The court may waive its jurisdiction only after it has conducted a waiver hearing held prior to the adjudicatory hearing and after notice has been given to all parties. The court may not waive its jurisdiction over a case unless it determines, from a preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing, that the child is an unfit subject for juvenile rehabilitative measures”. (Chapter 8) furthermore, in Maryland the juvenile courts handles all case that deal with juvenile. However, any juvenal that committed a crime that if the adults could be punished by death than the juvenal gets waived and also the child have to be at least 14 years old at the time the crime was committed(Delegate Montague, et al, 2002) . In additions...
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...This issue paper will cover the subject of “Trying Juveniles as Adults”. This has brought up a very controversial topic that people seem to be very passionate about. The rate of minors committing horrendous crimes has been on a steady rise for the past couple of decades (DOJ National Report Series Bulletin, 2011). There are many differences between the court system for Juveniles and the justice system for adults. In Juvenile courts there are no juries and no trails by jury either. In adult courts the sentencing is much harsher and the chance of getting off the hook with some counseling is very slim. If a juvenile is defined as a person under the age of 18, how can you justify trying them in a court designed for adult offenders? Some juvenile cases get transferred to adult criminal court through a process called a “waiver”—when a judge waives the protections that juvenile court provides (www.ojjdp.gov). Usually, juvenile cases that are subject to waiver involve more serious crimes, or minors who have been in trouble before (nolo.com/juveniles youth adult criminal court). Being tried as an adult gives a juvenile more constitutional protections, but it also has disadvantages such as losing the juvenile protections as well. Depending on the crime of the minor, both court systems can punish the individual, but which court can give the appropriate punishment or the “crime”, not the age of the person committing the crime? The big question now is should we the courts show more...
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... 06/13/2013 Juvenile justice in Virginia is based on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which was passed in 1974 by US Congress. It stated that all states should provide the best rehabilitation for people who are too young to bear criminal responsibility for their actions (US Dept. of Justice, 1974). The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice has a set values statement, which determines the attitude to juveniles in criminal justice and respectful treatment provided by law enforcement officers to them. Juveniles in criminal justice are Virginia are treated as a specific group and have extended rights compared to adult offenders. Juveniles have their correctional centers and detention facilities, but the maximum sentence there cannot be too long because Virginia has not enough bed spaces to detain all juveniles who have problems with the law. The values of knowledge, respect and effective communication are realized in addressing juvenile cases in the court. Juvenile court is represented by Juvenile and Domestic Relations District courts in Virginia. However, there are certain cases when juvenile offenders can be tried in criminal court. According to Powers (2009), previously juvenile cases were heard in juvenile courts only. It was extremely difficult to transfer the case of juvenile offender (even the most violent) to the adult court. The latest US tendencies show that all states...
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...Future of the Juvenile Justice System Lashanna Banks-Augustus Bryan Knight Samantha Mathis Barbara Minish Jenny Sutton CJA 374 July 2, 2012 Mecca Brown The Future of the Juvenile Justice System In 1899 the first separate Juvenile Court system opened in the United Sates. The Juvenile Justice system design was to separate juvenile delinquents from adult criminals. Documentation proves that juveniles do not have the maturity level or the responsibility level of an adult to receive the same punishment as adults should. Juvenile Justice System main focus is rehabilitation as a replacement for punishment in which the adult court system focuses on punishment. The juvenile system methods are based on causation theories throughout history. However, with new trends comes new theories and with new theories comes a new wave of both rehabilitation techniques and designing those techniques to fit each juvenile personal needs; proving that change is in need throughout the different areas of the juvenile justice system. Community Community helps juveniles in different ways. Juvenile law will place them accountable for their actions. The community can help to hold the youths accountable for each of their delinquent actions. The community could help intervene by providing an effective intervention for the offender and to have the child protection protect the neglect or abused juveniles (The future of children). Each community should help develop different programs that will help...
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...Drug Courts: Adult and Juvenile Rehabilitation Programs Eugene Berry Crj2200 Introduction to Criminal Courts Drug courts handle nonviolent substance abuse offenders, drug courts are used primarily to solve a problem rather than to send someone to jail or lock an offender away with less chance of rehabilitation. In the United States there are currently almost 2500 drug courts in the 50 states as well as the U.S. territories of Guam, and Puerto Ricco. Drug courts got their start in Florida, in 1989 judge Gerald Wetherington, Judge Herbert Klein, and state attorneys designed the court for non-violent offenders in Miami-Dade County, to battle a rising crack-cocaine problem in there city’s. Drug courts are a program the can involve different levels of intensive supervision by the courts themselves, this includes drug testing and substance abuse clinics or treatment programs. Drug court judges gain a lot of discretion and leeway in this system and can give the offenders instant or gradual sanctions if the offenders fail to meet the standards of the program given. To help keep the offenders compliant the courts can offer fewer drug tests, fewer court dates, and even the possibility of reduced or completely dismissed sentences if they programs are fully completed. Drug courts are proven to keep offenders from repeating their offences and the overall reduction in recidivism rates on these charges. There is research being done today that shows this treatment method could reduce drug...
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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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...The Future of Juvenile Justice Clinton Hardy, Dominique Whitlock CJA /374 March 18, 2012 Bruce Clingan The Future of Juvenile Justice The state of juvenile justice system in American is at a crossroad. It is important that the states take more of an imitative at the local level to ensure the important components of the juvenile justice system are being met. This is a proposal for the juvenile justice system to adopt some of the aspects of the adult system by building a state of the art facility that houses probation, home confinement, work release, and community service all in one place. The necessity for these services is crucial to the commitment to rehabilitation of youthful offenders. This project is a joint venture with the Department of Corrections, the city government, and the Department of Juvenile Justice. There are three areas that this proposal will address as far as social need and the explanation for these services. The three areas of deficiency that have to be addressed in relation to delinquency are family life and financial need, diagnosis of mental disabilities, and the likelihood of offending based on ethnic background. The purpose of this new facility is not to punish, but to get to the root of the reason for offending. Mental Health of Juvenile Offenders The most effective way to diagnose the problems associated with juveniles who offend or continue to offend is to make sure that all offenders, at one point or another, have had a mental health...
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