Pros And Cons Of The Juvenile Court System
Journal Entry
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Just like any other human being, youths are prone to committing crimes and offenses in the society. Therefore, there rose an issue that these youths were supposed to undergo judgments just like anyone else would do. This led to construction of courts for youths who are between 11 – 18 years (juvenile court system). These courts are referred as peer courts or teen courts. More of concern any youth charged with an offense has the opportunity to undergo the hearing and sentencing proceedings of juvenile courts and should agree to a sentencing forum with a jury of the youth’s peers. The peer courts are under the supervision of a judge, youth defendants, and volunteers who play a variety of roles in the …show more content…
Peer courts promote community cohesion – this is made possible by increasing public appreciation and respect for the law among youths.
Peer courts are less costly as it works with adult and youth volunteers.
However, despite the numerous and constructive advantages, peer courts come along with some disadvantages. They include:
Juvenile court systems lack orientation to juveniles – their ability to handle this problem is limited. It is supposed to reform the offenders and correct where possible but most are aimed at punishing the offenders rather than reforming them.
It is prone to delays – most of the crimes would have been solved at their tender ages but because of delays from peer courts they end up not being solved.
Apart from the juvenile court system, there exist other methods of solving disputes among teens. This includes the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies which encompasses arbitration and mediation. They aim at solving problems at the family and society levels without having to take them to the courts (Champion,
Name
Course
Professor
Date
Just like any other human being, youths are prone to committing crimes and offenses in the society. Therefore, there rose an issue that these youths were supposed to undergo judgments just like anyone else would do. This led to construction of courts for youths who are between 11 – 18 years (juvenile court system). These courts are referred as peer courts or teen courts. More of concern any youth charged with an offense has the opportunity to undergo the hearing and sentencing proceedings of juvenile courts and should agree to a sentencing forum with a jury of the youth’s peers. The peer courts are under the supervision of a judge, youth defendants, and volunteers who play a variety of roles in the …show more content…
Peer courts promote community cohesion – this is made possible by increasing public appreciation and respect for the law among youths.
Peer courts are less costly as it works with adult and youth volunteers.
However, despite the numerous and constructive advantages, peer courts come along with some disadvantages. They include:
Juvenile court systems lack orientation to juveniles – their ability to handle this problem is limited. It is supposed to reform the offenders and correct where possible but most are aimed at punishing the offenders rather than reforming them.
It is prone to delays – most of the crimes would have been solved at their tender ages but because of delays from peer courts they end up not being solved.
Apart from the juvenile court system, there exist other methods of solving disputes among teens. This includes the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies which encompasses arbitration and mediation. They aim at solving problems at the family and society levels without having to take them to the courts (Champion,