Should the Juvenile Court Be Abolished
Sequence # 49
Should the Juvenile Court be Abolished?
I. Introduction
The purpose of this paper will be to examine the juvenile court system and whether or not abolishing it is the practical thing to do. To start off with, I will give a brief history of what the juvenile court system consist of and what it was designed to do. Next I will go into both sides of the debate to determine whether or not to abolish the juvenile court system. We will first take a look at the two concepts of the juvenile court system. There is the welfare model in which you help the children, and then there is the due process model in which the children have rights. There are also some issues about how to alter the system. Should a few things be changed, or should the juvenile court system be changed completely? On the other hand you have people saying that these two concepts can’t work together and that the only option is to abolish the whole system all together. We will first take a look at the history of the juvenile courts.
The Juvenile Court System began in 1899, and it is now over 110 years old. The Juvenile Court System started in Chicago, Illinois. It was then known as the “children’s court, with jurisdiction over dependent, neglected, and delinquent youth” (office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention). When the court first started it had a wide range of problems that were dealt with; these included issues such as child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, divorce, runaways, truancy, and many others. According to the Ojjdp (1999) the first juvenile court was established to help youth, and with the belief that the whole community had the responsibility to help these children. This type of court system spread through the United States, and not long after, every state had similar courts. Then in 1966 the courts adopted a model of due process. This made them similar to adult courts, but alternative punishment and treatment opportunities were
Should the Juvenile Court be Abolished?
I. Introduction
The purpose of this paper will be to examine the juvenile court system and whether or not abolishing it is the practical thing to do. To start off with, I will give a brief history of what the juvenile court system consist of and what it was designed to do. Next I will go into both sides of the debate to determine whether or not to abolish the juvenile court system. We will first take a look at the two concepts of the juvenile court system. There is the welfare model in which you help the children, and then there is the due process model in which the children have rights. There are also some issues about how to alter the system. Should a few things be changed, or should the juvenile court system be changed completely? On the other hand you have people saying that these two concepts can’t work together and that the only option is to abolish the whole system all together. We will first take a look at the history of the juvenile courts.
The Juvenile Court System began in 1899, and it is now over 110 years old. The Juvenile Court System started in Chicago, Illinois. It was then known as the “children’s court, with jurisdiction over dependent, neglected, and delinquent youth” (office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention). When the court first started it had a wide range of problems that were dealt with; these included issues such as child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, divorce, runaways, truancy, and many others. According to the Ojjdp (1999) the first juvenile court was established to help youth, and with the belief that the whole community had the responsibility to help these children. This type of court system spread through the United States, and not long after, every state had similar courts. Then in 1966 the courts adopted a model of due process. This made them similar to adult courts, but alternative punishment and treatment opportunities were
References: Bazemore, G. G. (1999). The Fork in the Road to Juvenile Court Reform. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 564(1), 81-108. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Burke M. (1995)This Old Court: Abolitionists Once Again Line Up The Wrecking Ball On the Juvenile Court When All It Needs Is A Few Minor Alterations. University of Toledo Law http://www.bmglawyers.com/This-Old-Court-Abolitionists-Line-Up-The-Wrecking-Ball-On-The-Juvenile-Court.shtml Cuda A. (2008) Juvenile justice system changes outlined. Conneticut Post online. http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_9569892 Department of Justice, W. n. (1999). 100th Anniversary of the Juvenile Court, 1899-1999. Juvenile Justice. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Feld, B. C. (1997). ABOLISH THE JUVENILE COURT: YOUTHFULNESS, CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND SENTENCING POLICY. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 88(1), 68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Juvenile Justice Frontline basic statistics 1999 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/stats/basic.html Moak, S. C. (2003). ATTITUDES OF LOUISIANA PRACTITIONERS TOWARD THE CHANGING JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM. Journal for Juvenile Justice & Detention Services, 18(2), 113-123. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Wetzstein, Cheryl.(1999) Kids’ Court Centennial. Insight pp.30-31