Juvenile Justice - 2455 Words

Juvenile Justice To many Americans today, the country is a hostage-but not from oversea terrorism as one might expect to think. No today, we live in fear from our own children; and these are the same young people who we are entrusting the future of this great country with. According to the Department of Justice report released in November, thirty-eight percent of those arrested for weapons offenses in 1995 were under the age of eighteen (Curriden 66). In the same report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics stated that in 1995 3 out of every 100 eighteen-year-olds was arrested for weapons offenses. A rate three times higher than for males twenty-five to twenty-nine and five times higher than for males thirty to thirty-four (66). Just†¦show more content†¦In short, they want it to work(49). The most basic justification for capitol punishment is what is known as the incapacitation argument: The only way to make sure that murderers dont murder again is to kill them. But with tougher sentencing laws, some death penalty opponents say, the incapacitation argument doesnt carry the weight it once did. Many states now impose life imprisonment with no possibility of parole on the violent offenders. Still, some argue that a life sentence isnt enough. David Pierce of the Washington Legal Foundation says, The death penalty incapacitates in a way no other form of imprisonment can; also, Inmates do commit crimes behind bars against guards and each other, and they do escape from time to time (Edmonds 11). As it stands now, almost all juvenile murderers are imprisoned rather than put to death. Even doubling or tripling the number of juvenile executions (the all-time U.S. high was 199 in 1935) would not change the fact that in America the death penalty is chiefly a symbolic threat that is carried out in only a very small percentage of cases (Hetter 44). (The 56 people executed in 1995 represented about 2 percent of the entire death row population.) Efforts to greatly increaseShow MoreRelatedJuveniles And The Juvenile Justice System1559 Words   |  7 PagesJuveniles committing crimes is not a new issued being introduced to society; actually, it has been an issue for centuries. However, the big question is, should juveniles be tried in adult courts? Before answering, take into consideration every possible scenario that could have led them to commit the crime. For instance, were they the leader in the act? Did they participate in the crime? Was the juvenile even aware of what was taking place? Were they peer pressured? Did they have any other choiceRead MoreJuvenile Justice And Juvenile Delinquency1675 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Justice has been a work in progress from the beginning of the program because of the evolving mentality of the generations. The purpose of Juvenile Justice was to correct the behavior of the juvenile de linquents and rehabilitation through a probationary period monitored by an individual who paid for bail and periodically reported behavior changes to courts. (Mulligan 2009) We do justice to the youth offenders by understanding the history of Juvenile Justice restorative programs, the alternativesRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System For Juveniles1397 Words   |  6 Pageswere treated the same as adult criminals. If you are a young person under the age of 18 and you commit a crime, you will have your case heard in the juvenile justice system. The thing is that, it hasn’t always gone that way. The idea of a separate justice system for juveniles is just over one hundred years old (American Bar). Where did juvenile justice come from? The law was in the image of the common law of England. William Blackstone, Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England, first publishedRead MoreJuvenile Justice And The Juvenile System4789 Words   |  20 PagesJuvenile Justice Consult ant When thinking of reforming the juvenile justice system one has to think; what can we do to make this better for everyone involve? There are some programs that can be implemented when trying to make a change in the juvenile system. The main thing is getting parents or the guardian more involved in the child’s whereabouts. Secondly the community where the youth will have a place to go and have something more constructive to do to keep them out of trouble. Law enforcementRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System1313 Words   |  6 Pages Today s concept of the juvenile justice system is relatively new due to significant modifications in policy overtime. The justice system has been trying to figure out effective ways to treat juvenile criminal offenders successfully for years. The justice system did not always have a special category for juveniles and their crime. Juveniles was once treated as adults when they committed crimes and were subjected to harsh punishments. The juvenile court was the culmination of efforts of the positivistRead MoreJuvenile Justice Systems833 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Juvenile crime is a term around the world that is difficult to pinpoint and although there are several definitions many fail to be concrete. There are many factors that play into sentencing juveniles or minors upon a crime committed. How old are they? Can they mentally form criminal intent? Are they old enough to no longer be treated as children? Some people would argue that a criminal is just that, regardless of age. Research on the other hand shows that juveniles have underdevelopedRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System788 Words   |  3 Pages The juvenile justice system was founded with the goal to serve the best interests of the child, with an understanding that youth possessed different needs than adults. Over the course of our semester we have come across various research studies that proves that the adult system is not well equipped to house and rehabilitate the delinquents. These studies have shown that more juveniles that are transferred to the criminal justice system ends up back in the system, which means the recidivism rateRead MoreEssay on Juvenile Justice1506 Words   |  7 PagesPortfolio on Juvenile Status Offenders A juvenile status offender is a youth charged with an offense that is not consider a crime if committed by an adult; this would include but not limited to running away from home, curfew violations, underage drinking, skipping school, or beyond a parents control. Status offenders are usually not incarcerated on their first offense, but violating a court order can find them as delinquent who can result in being place in a correction or detention facility. Read MoreJuvenile Delinquency And The Juvenile Justice System1299 Words   |  6 Pagesdedicated his life to troubled juveniles once said, â€Å"I believe that the kids who are labeled â€Å"good† are children who know how to solve their problems and manage their behavior and social life, and the kids who are labeled â€Å"bad† are kids who don’t know how to solve those problems.† Every day, kids are committing illegal acts of varying severity. Some are involved in petty robberies, others involved in murde rs and rape. These juveniles become the responsibility of the juvenile justice system which is taskedRead MoreJuvenile Justice and Rehabilitation2500 Words   |  10 PagesJuvenile Justice and Rehabilitation When discussing rehabilitation or punishment for juvenile delinquents, I believe there should be rehabilitation over punishment. Granted there are numerous cases that completely warrant punishment, but punishment isn’t always the answer. Adults are usually given second, third and fourth chances to change their lives. And sometimes rehabilitation isn’t involved. I believe since adolescents still have plenty of time to get counseling or learn about themselves