Juvenile Justice

             Juvenile Justice: Is it Helping or Hurting?
             Over the years, juvenile punishment has changed in many ways. Increasing public pressure is the cause of why the system treats juvenile criminals as though they are adults. In comparison with adult courtrooms, similarities as well as differences and pros as well as cons are displayed. Efforts have also been made to prevent juvenile crime in society. However, with juvenile crime increasing year by year, kids are being punished totally different, even though certain crimes may not call for this type of punishment.
             During the 19th century post Industrial Revolution era, an increase in less fortunate children created an increase in juvenile crime. Police and prosecutors advocated the start of juvenile courts because when the juveniles were tried in adult courtrooms, critics believed that the jury would not punish them because it felt sorry for them. The goal then and the goal now of the juvenile court is very much the same. The main goal of the juveniles court is to make the juvenile pay for the crime but to do so in a way that they would be able to be integrated back into society and be socially acceptable. In contrast, adult courts focus on punishment primarily (Young 1).
             Even earlier in the 1700s, juvenile criminals, regardless of age, were confined with adults. This, in turn, caused more problems for the juveniles, causing them to become criminally worse instead of better. According to amendments made to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act of 1974 in 1980, juveniles were required to be separated from adults in prisons (Smith 2).
             Violent crime amongst juveniles has risen over the years. The question has been raised about how to punish a juvenile who has committed a violent crime. Originally, the juvenile system was developed to punish underage persons committing minor crimes. However, facts showed that 75 percent of juvenile crimes in earlier years were felonies. Acc...

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Juvenile Justice. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 03:30, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/90727.html