Juvenile Justice System
The Juvenile Justice System has become a major factor when it comes to dealing with juvenile offenders. The Juvenile Justice System was not always around and has not stayed the same. Many different rules and regulations have changed just like the Criminal Justice System; the Juvenile Justice System is made up of three categories: [Juvenile] Policing, [Juvenile] Courts, and [Juvenile] Corrections. Juveniles make up their own world when it comes to the Justice System. They have a narrow range of crime committed, they seek out a different type of victim and they aren’t treated the same as those in the Criminal Justice System. Juvenile offenders are sometimes waived to adult courts and processed as adult offenders. All of the above will be addressed and discussed as I research and elaborate more on the Juvenile Justice System.
Before the twentieth century, juveniles were essentially chattel, or property, in the eyes of society and the courts around the world (Caeti, Fritsch & Taylor, 2008, Ch 2). Juveniles weren’t thought of as citizens in the society. They were bought, sold and treated like property. The owner would be the person with complete control of the child. In today’s society, this practice is dreadful but back then it was a common practice. However, Juveniles weren’t given a separate status when it came to criminal courts. A juvenile was treated the same as an adult in the criminal justice system and faced the same consequences, even death. They were also sent to adult prisons once they were convicted of a crime. Under English Common Law, a juvenile accused of a crime was usually treated no differently than an adult offender as well. Juveniles could be given a variety of corporal punishments, banishments, and even the death penalty for their crimes. In terms of criminal responsibility, and child over the age of seven was accountable for any criminal acts that child committed (Caeti, Fritsch & Taylor, 2008, Ch 2). This is a very early age to be
Before the twentieth century, juveniles were essentially chattel, or property, in the eyes of society and the courts around the world (Caeti, Fritsch & Taylor, 2008, Ch 2). Juveniles weren’t thought of as citizens in the society. They were bought, sold and treated like property. The owner would be the person with complete control of the child. In today’s society, this practice is dreadful but back then it was a common practice. However, Juveniles weren’t given a separate status when it came to criminal courts. A juvenile was treated the same as an adult in the criminal justice system and faced the same consequences, even death. They were also sent to adult prisons once they were convicted of a crime. Under English Common Law, a juvenile accused of a crime was usually treated no differently than an adult offender as well. Juveniles could be given a variety of corporal punishments, banishments, and even the death penalty for their crimes. In terms of criminal responsibility, and child over the age of seven was accountable for any criminal acts that child committed (Caeti, Fritsch & Taylor, 2008, Ch 2). This is a very early age to be
References: * Caeti, T.J., Fritsch, E.J., Taylor, R.W., (2008). Juvenile Justice. (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill. * Hartjen, C.A. (2008). Youth, Crime, & Justice: A Global Inquiry. Rutgers University Press. * Huges, L.A., Short Jr., J.F. (2008). Juvenile Delinquency and Delinquents: The Nexus of Social Change. Pearson Prentice Hall. * Involuntary Servitude. (2007). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/involuntary servitude.htm. * Kupchill, A. (2006). Judging juveniles: Prosecuting Adolescents in Adult and Juvenile Courts. New York University Press. * Parens Patriae. (2008). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/parens patriae.htm. * Simonsen, C.E., Vito, G.F., (2004). Juvenile Justice Today. (4th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.