Juvenile Delinquents
Most states and the federal government have laws that expunge young offender’s criminal records of delinquency when a certain age is reached. The purpose behind most states and the federal government expunging juvenile records is to allow youth who has made bad decisions, and found guilty of their youthful transgressions to enter adulthood without the heavy stigmatic freight of a criminal record (Funk & Polsby, 1997). The fundamental philosophy for juvenile laws is that a juvenile delinquent should be considered and treated not as a criminal, but as a person requiring care, education and protection. Furthermore, in their eyes, juveniles are not thought of as bad people who should be punished, but as a individual who need help (Funk & Polsby,
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Thus, their goal is not to punish the youth for the mistakes they make but to prevent them from committing more crimes in their future by rehabilitating them (Funk & Polsby, 1997). To help rehabilitate juvenile delinquents, the government has established laws designed to help give troubled youth a better chance at life once they turn a certain age (Funk & Polsby, 1997). Expungement laws relating to juvenile delinquency have been modernly designed to keep youth from being labeled as criminals or delinquents and to also avoid detrimental handicaps in their future due to their childhood errors and indiscretions. Moreover, expungement laws seek to prevent employers, school administrators, college admission offices and even the judges from gaining knowledge of an adolescent criminal activity (Funk & Polsby, …show more content…
The convicted are forever branded as untrustworthy members of society. Their job prospects are permanently compromised; they are often the subject of suspicion and mistrust. Expungement ensures that the defendant no longer has a criminal record and they can resume life anew without the stigma of a conviction (Funk & Polsby, 1997).
Reference
Funk, T.M., & Polsby D.D. (1997). Distributional Consequences of Expunging Juvenile Delinquency Records: The Problem of Lemons. Vol. 52. Retrieved from
Thus, their goal is not to punish the youth for the mistakes they make but to prevent them from committing more crimes in their future by rehabilitating them (Funk & Polsby, 1997). To help rehabilitate juvenile delinquents, the government has established laws designed to help give troubled youth a better chance at life once they turn a certain age (Funk & Polsby, 1997). Expungement laws relating to juvenile delinquency have been modernly designed to keep youth from being labeled as criminals or delinquents and to also avoid detrimental handicaps in their future due to their childhood errors and indiscretions. Moreover, expungement laws seek to prevent employers, school administrators, college admission offices and even the judges from gaining knowledge of an adolescent criminal activity (Funk & Polsby, …show more content…
The convicted are forever branded as untrustworthy members of society. Their job prospects are permanently compromised; they are often the subject of suspicion and mistrust. Expungement ensures that the defendant no longer has a criminal record and they can resume life anew without the stigma of a conviction (Funk & Polsby, 1997).
Reference
Funk, T.M., & Polsby D.D. (1997). Distributional Consequences of Expunging Juvenile Delinquency Records: The Problem of Lemons. Vol. 52. Retrieved from