Preview

Juveniles In The Juvenile Justice System

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
175 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Juveniles In The Juvenile Justice System
Over time, there has been extensive research done on juveniles in the justice system. The way to deal with mental illness is to identify and treat the disorder. According to the National Conference of State Legislation, studies show that 70% of juveniles in the system suffer from some form of mental disease or defect. About 20% of them suffer from an illness so severe that it can lead to ongoing delinquency and eventually criminality in adulthood. When our juvenile justice system takes a mentally ill, underdeveloped minor and puts them in jail instead of a treatment facility, it can only make the situation worse. Idaho, Nevada and Texas all have laws that require mental health and/or substance screenings for all juveniles taken into custody.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Juvenile Justice

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In recent discussion of Juvenile Justice, a controversial issue has been whether juveniles should be tried as adults in adult courts for heinous crimes they have committed. On one hand, some argue that they should not be tried as adults and do not deserve harsh sentences but as children seeking help. On the other hand, however, others argue that those who commit such heinous crimes ought to be punished no matter the age. The juvenile court was created to handle juvenile offenders on the basis of their youth rather than their crimes. The purpose of juvenile court is treatment and guidance rather than punishment. Juveniles don't have the knowledgeable or moral capacity to understand the consequences of their actions; similarly, they lack the same capacity to be trial defendants. Juveniles today are more knowledgeable and cultured at a younger age; they understand the implications of violence and how violent weapons are used. It is irrational to argue that a juvenile, who sees the effect of violence around him in the news every day, does not understand what killing really is. The fact that “adolescent killers” know how to load and shoot a gun or use a knife to kill is an indicator that they understand exactly what they're doing.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Child Protection System and the Juvenile Justice system are interaction agencies in the Juvenile Justice Victim System. The systems mission is to protect children and render justice to the victim. The objectives of the two systems primarily concerns are physical abuse, sex abuse the mistreatment of the child, assault, neglect, and emotional maltreatment. The enormous amount of crime against children goes undetected due to lack of reporting to authorities. If there is substantiated evidence than the authorities will remove the child from the home and into protective custody, this is considered serious intervention; foster care services provide temporary safe home for children. The court system operates on the assumption that…

    • 158 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Legislature has given the prosecutor discretion on filing with a defined list of cases in adult and juvenile courts. The prosecutor also gets to choose which court will handle the matter. U.s department of justice. ().…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The court system for juveniles in the United States was first formed in 1899, in Cook County, Illinois, which then was quickly spread across the country and most other state courts decided to establish one as well, that then in turn created the juvenile justice system. With the purpose of rehabilitating each underage offender in order for them to become a productive part of society and also to protect them by having them separated from any type of exposure to adult offenders and mentally ill adult offenders that were incarcerated as well.…

    • 3966 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Juvenile’s should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because teens are at the age of knowing right from wrong. In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” Jennifer’s sister was shot, while begging for the life of her unborn baby. The teen had a friend who testified at his trial about his friends “Thrill Kill” the teen just wanted to “See what it would feel like to shoot someone”. The young teen knew what he was doing but still went through it knowing the consequences.…

    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Earlier this year the Supreme Court of the United States handed down arguably one their most important, yet controversial decisions regarding juvenile law. In the case Roper v Simmons (2005), a narrow 5-4 decision, overturned the United States practice of allowing capital punishment for juvenile offenders.…

    • 3690 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Juvenile Justice Outline

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    b. Delinquency and Detention – “Harsh conditions and over-crowding in detention facilities lead to increased reports of suicide attempts, stress-related illnesses, and psychiatric problems.” (National Juvenile Detention Association and Youth Law Center, 1998)…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Usually the underlying issues are mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction. Massachusetts being as progressive as it is even has drug court for juveniles. This is fantastic for many reasons. Most adults would be quick to dismiss juveniles as delinquent, misguided youth who will always be resigned to a life of crime. But fortunately there are some who saw pass this and also knew that this was not true for every young person who engaged in drug use.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Broken Juvenile Justice System.” Baltimore Sun. N.p., 06 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2013 http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-08-06/news/bs-ed-juvenile-jail-editorial-20120806_1_million-juvenile-jail-adult-facility-youthful-offenders…

    • 2312 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Juveniles have been incarcerated in secure facilities since 1974. Juveniles are committing more heinous crimes and citizens have advocated for tougher penalties on crime. They want justice for the violence perpetrated on their families, businesses and communities. The Juvenile Justice system is charged with simultaneously protecting the public as well as reforming those juveniles who are convicted and sentenced to secure facilities. Barry C. Feld (1995) believes that there is a “desire to "get tough," fueled in part by frustration with the intractability of crime, that provides political impetus to transfer some young offenders to criminal courts for prosecution as adults and to strengthen the sanctioning powers of juvenile courts”(p.966).…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    These harsh conditions are cruel and unusual. Juveniles should not be treated as adults because their safety is at danger. Not only is their safety in danger, but they are also more likely to commit more crimes when they are released. Studies have shown that juveniles have a 30 percent higher chance of committing more crimes when they are released than kids who are kept in juvenile detention centers. According to a National Research Council panel, “About 80 percent of juveniles admitted to prison are released before their 21st birthday, and being jailed with adults does not seem to discourage them from returning to a life of crime.” This is unjust because the purpose of treating a juvenile as an adult is to show the individual the severity of his crime, yet punishing him as an adult is putting his safety at stake, and not helping the individual rehabilitate into a person who is capable of reasoning. A juvenile is not fully mentally developed as I said before; therefore, he has the opportunity to develop into a law-abiding adult. Compared with youngsters in juvenile detention centers, youth housed in adult jails are nearly eight times as likely to commit suicide. This is unjust because it is exposing an individual who is not mentally developed to cruel and unusual circumstances. The research paper also reported that juveniles “are five times as likely to be sexually assaulted, and twice as likely to be beaten by staff members. And they are 50 percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon.” I believe that it is inhuman to expose a juvenile offender to these circumstances. Justice is not being served if juveniles are exposed to violence and come out of jail worse than when they…

    • 4926 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    More and more juveniles are being incarcerated in adult prisons because of legislation dropping the age juveniles are allowed to be tried as an adult and expanding the list that are considered adult crimes. States vary as to how old and where a juvenile is incarcerated. They may have to wait until a certain age to be transferred to an adult facility or they have to go in ight after sentencing. Sometimes they are in the general population of adults and others they try to keep them in different areas, but it all depends on the state and what their legislature says. Adult prisons do not meet the needs of a developing juvenile therefore putting them at risk for abuse and attempting suicide. Studies have shown that the younger juveniles are…

    • 265 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to "The Memphis Commercial Appeal," violent youth are not dealt with severely enough in the juvenile system. In Tennessee, for example, if a youth's crime is not serious enough to transfer him to adult court, the offender is placed in the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. The department then decides whether the juvenile should be sent to a detention center, rehabilitation program or placed in a foster or group home. If placed in a group home, the offenders are back in the community, possibly becoming a threat again.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A description of the process the juvenile will follow after arrest, from intake, through court, sentencing, and punishment or rehabilitation. The process should be based on actual state laws and practices of your state or a state in which you are familiar. I will be using Case study two which is as follows: Xander L. is a 17-year-old African American male and documented gang member. His prior juvenile adjudications include purse snatching, breaking and entering, and drug possession. His first juvenile adjudication occurred when he was 13 years old. He has served a year of custody in the juvenile correctional facility and has been placed on probation twice previously. His instant arrest is for possession of a concealed weapon, to which he has pled guilty.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Juvenile Incarceration

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    5. What is the education level of the juvenile incarcerated in the state of Alabama?…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays