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).
In adult facilities, no classes or rehabilitative programs are offered to the juvenile. Compared to adult facilities, juvenile facilities, if available, are much better for the juvenile delinquent. However, tests show that it is more cost effective to target these high risk juveniles and concentrate on early intervention by offering special programs to both the parents and the child (Donegan 219). Males and females differ in their delinquency in a number of ways. However, most juvenile facilities offer classes, vocational training, counseling, and special programs like substance abuse programs. " He found that most rehabilitative programs only actually work about 10 percent of the time (Lipsey 175). Their crimes are released to the public, and the juveniles are provided with an adequate rehabilitation program. However, locking them up with adults is considered, according to one judge, to be like sending them to "a college for the perfection of adepts in guilt" (Talbot 567). Most people think that curfews are not effective enough because often times they are not strictly enforced. Beliefs that are the opposite way of thinking when compared to a rehabilitative program have also been brought to the juvenile justice system issue. However, if convicted of a juvenile offense requiring incarceration, females are more likely to be sent to a private institution; whereas, males are sent to a public institution (Chesney-Lind and Shelden 163-65). The juveniles are then taught how to socially interact in a more acceptable way and are better able to return to society (Talbot 569). This, in turn, caused more problems for the juveniles, causing them to become criminally worse instead of better. Between the ages of 7 and 14, juveniles are considered to be irresponsible for their crime. Originally, the juvenile system was developed to punish underage persons committing minor crimes.
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