Cja 204 Week 2 Juvenile Crime And Punishment

Running Head: A Juveniles Crime And Punishment 1

Juveniles Crime And Punishment
CJA/204
January 8, 2013

Running Head: A Juveniles Crime And Punishment 2

A person’s criminal career may often start when he or she is a juvenile. There are many factors that may play a role in a kid’s life that could set them on a path of destruction. The next part of this is to figure out the best way to correct these actions and turn them into a positive and productive member of society. Some juveniles may be able to be rehabilitated. Others may have some sort of imbalance that will inhibit them from being able to coexist with average everyday citizens.

Some children will be lucky enough to
In juvenile court the council cares more about the wellbeing of the individual. They focus more on treatment rather than punishment. At this stage in a kid’s life, a judge may have the chance to make or break the future of a juvenile based on the punishment he or she receives. There is a lot more thought that goes into punishing a juvenile rather than “throwing the book at them”. The council will determine a punishment that fits the crime while keeping in mind the future development of the individual. Another way the juvenile court differs is in sentence length. The courts do not like to put a 15 year old away for 35 years. That would be detrimental to the emotional growth of the individual and would more than likely recidivate for the simple fact that he or she does not know anything different other than the lifestyle that has been provided to he or she while in confinement.

The most important aspect of keeping a juvenile in confinement is keeping them with other juveniles around the same age. If he or she is be kept in confinement for a lesser crime, they need to be kept with others who are also there for a lesser crime. One of the worst things they could possibly do is mix those two up with juveniles being held for more serious crimes. This type of situation could be detrimental to the rehabilitation of the subject who may be able to be set on the right path with
Some states allow juveniles to be held in general population. Others have all juveniles segregated. In some cases, juveniles will be kept with “youthful offenders”. These are offenders who are under the age of 25. In the last 20 years, juveniles held in the general population in prisons have nearly doubled. There is overcrowding in detention facilities at the juvenile level just the same as the adult criminal level. Roughly 47% of juveniles are being held in facilities that exceed their maximum capacity. At this time there are approximately 8000 juveniles being held in the general population at the adult criminal level. The problem with this situation is the simple fact that juveniles held in general population generally show a higher recidivism rate than those segregated with subjects around their own age group.

There is a lot of discussion about what punishment fits the crime in juvenile cases. Also, some punishment or court orders can go too far and affect innocent individuals. Talks of boot camps are a popular topic. Some say it is great because it may satisfy the public as they see these individuals being broke down and disciplined. They learn responsibility and dedication, and respect. The flip side to that is this type of transformation also changes people’s mindsets. Based on military tactics, these types of procedures are designed to break subjects down and