Juvenile Crime Paper
Juvenile Crime Paper
Malina Wiese
CJS/200
December 9,2012
Juvenile Crime Paper
Juvenile Court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of maturity, generally defined as persons under the age of 18 and above the age of 10. Adult Court is a court of law where adults can be tried, and if convicted, face adult punishment such as probation, adult prison, or even the death penalty.
Juvenile cases are handled differently than adult criminal cases. Instead of a criminal district or county court, juvenile cases are heard by a juvenile court judge. A juvenile who is alleged to have committed an offense may have their case heard in juvenile court. This is a type of civil court and has different rules than adult court. Juvenile court provides defendants with fewer rights than they would receive in an adult court. In many states, juveniles do not have the right to a jury trial, but do have the right to counsel and also an appeal.
The proceedings are civil as opposed to criminal. So, instead of being formally charged with a crime, juvenile offenders are accused of committing a delinquent act. Even though juvenile court is more civil in nature, a juvenile court judge does have some criminal type “authority”. A juvenile case gets started when a prosecutor or probation officer files a civil petition, charging the juvenile with violating a criminal statute and asking that the court determine that the juvenile is delinquent. If the charges are proven a delinquency, a determination is made, and the juvenile comes under the courts broad power. At that point, the juvenile court has the authority to do what it considers to be in the best interest of the juvenile.
The goal of most juvenile court programs is to rehabilitate a child before they become an adult and get into more trouble. Most states will treat juvenile matters as civil matters or family law matters, rather than
Malina Wiese
CJS/200
December 9,2012
Juvenile Crime Paper
Juvenile Court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of maturity, generally defined as persons under the age of 18 and above the age of 10. Adult Court is a court of law where adults can be tried, and if convicted, face adult punishment such as probation, adult prison, or even the death penalty.
Juvenile cases are handled differently than adult criminal cases. Instead of a criminal district or county court, juvenile cases are heard by a juvenile court judge. A juvenile who is alleged to have committed an offense may have their case heard in juvenile court. This is a type of civil court and has different rules than adult court. Juvenile court provides defendants with fewer rights than they would receive in an adult court. In many states, juveniles do not have the right to a jury trial, but do have the right to counsel and also an appeal.
The proceedings are civil as opposed to criminal. So, instead of being formally charged with a crime, juvenile offenders are accused of committing a delinquent act. Even though juvenile court is more civil in nature, a juvenile court judge does have some criminal type “authority”. A juvenile case gets started when a prosecutor or probation officer files a civil petition, charging the juvenile with violating a criminal statute and asking that the court determine that the juvenile is delinquent. If the charges are proven a delinquency, a determination is made, and the juvenile comes under the courts broad power. At that point, the juvenile court has the authority to do what it considers to be in the best interest of the juvenile.
The goal of most juvenile court programs is to rehabilitate a child before they become an adult and get into more trouble. Most states will treat juvenile matters as civil matters or family law matters, rather than