Preview

Juvenile And Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1246 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Juvenile And Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis
Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper
Nancy Vang
CJS/245
April 27, 2015
William O’Neil

Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis Paper The juvenile court system today resembles the adult court system in many ways. Although they have their similarities the fundamental foundations of each system clearly display two different outcomes. While the adult court looks to punish criminals, the juvenile court system looks to rehabilitate the individual.
Overview of the Juvenile Justice System . The purpose of the juvenile court system was to protect the public by providing a system that responded to delinquent acts committed by juveniles who were maturing into adulthood (Juvenile Law Center, n.d.) In most states delinquency is defined as the charge of a criminal act by a child who is under the age of 18 (Juvenile Law Center, n.d.). The juvenile court system was established in the United States to remove youth offenders to welfare agencies or social services (University of Phoenix, 2013). The states recognized that children who committed
…show more content…
Juveniles are not subject to a public trial but rather a fact-finding hearing in which the judge renders judgment upon the evidence and allegations of the juvenile with no jury present (The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, n.d.). Instead of receiving an indictment, formal list of charges specified for the individual, the juvenile may receive a petition which the facts of the crime committed by the juvenile is listed. This petition must include the statutes giving the juvenile court jurisdiction a well as the statutes that have been violated by the juvenile (The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, n.d.). At the end of the trial, the juvenile can be deemed delinquent in which the juvenile is held responsible for the actions of the crime and may be sent to a probation or detention program rather than being sent to prison or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    An individual that is under the age of 18 is considered a juvenile in the eyes of the law. Therefore, any child under the age of 18 that commits any form of a crime they are referred to as a juvenile delinquent. In this paper I will discuss the juvenile statistics that were recorded on the 2008 juvenile arrest report.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    By the nineteenth century, many child welfare advocates reformed the country’s view on children, and the states found it counter productive to convict children along with adults. States then recognized that minors are indeed young enough to be rehabilitated. Thus being said, the United States began discussing the idea of a separate justice system specifically for juvenile cases. In 1925 an official juvenile system has been established in the United States. “Juvenile courts do not exist to punish children for their transgressions against society…The aim of the court is to provide individualized justice for children…The delinquent is the child of, rather than the enemy of society and their interests coincide.” (Ogilvie at p.…

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The United States government is based on a checks and balances type system. The three main parts of this system are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. This judicial system’s job is to uphold the law of the land. Law can be defined as a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct (Wikipedia.org, 2005). This is a very wide and all encompassing definition of the law and the governing judicial system. Just like the United States government the judicial system is broken up into different checks, balances, and systems. Two of these main systems are the juvenile justices system and the adult justice system. The obvious difference between these two courts is that the juvenile system is designed to handle youth offenders and the adult system is designed to handle adult offenders. Both of these two systems despite their difference have the same end goal; to administer justice. In the pages to follow we will discuss the big picture of the juvenile justice system, go over a point by point comparison between the juvenile system and the adult system, touch on both the benefits and disadvantages to being tried as a minor in the juvenile court from the perspective of a minor, and review the societal implication of abolishing the juvenile court system.…

    • 2342 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Some of the processes for both of the courts are similar; however, they use different terminology, such as adults have bail hearings whereas juveniles have detention hearings, adults with trials and juveniles with fact-finding hearings. An adult has a complaint or indictment filed against them, although a juvenile is accused with a petition being filed against them. The adult is identified as the defendant in the court, but the juvenile is referred to as the respondent. The verdict is agreed upon by the jury in the adult court system, whereas the judge makes a ruling, referred to as the adjudication. In an adult court case, the defendant is found to be guilty or not guilty, however the juveniles are found to be delinquent or involved. While the differences exist amongst the two court systems, the adult and juvenile courts share similarities such as, both the criminal and the delinquent have the right to an attorney.. Delinquents have the privilege against self-incrimination, just as criminals have the same right, including the right to receive the notice of charges, and lastly the prosecution must provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt before a person can be…

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    This hearing can also be called a fact-finding hearing. All parties that pertain to the case will be subpoenaed to testify before the judge. Some witnesses may be excluded from the courtroom until they have finished testifying. If you are the victim, you have the right to be present during the entire court preceding. Since there is no jury trials for juveniles, the judge will then make the decision if the juvenile is innocent or guilty. During the adjudication hearing the prosecution and the defense has the right to make opening statements to the judge. It is then the responsibility of the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the juvenile committed the crime. If the judge determines that the juvenile defendant is delinquent, the judge then will set a date for the disposition hearing. In some cases the disposition hearing is held immediately (Clallam County, Washington,…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The juvenile justice sector applies to individual under the age of 18 that are unable to be tried in the adult court system. Juvenile accused of committing crimes could face a transfer to the adult court system in conformance with some state laws and the specific crime that was committed. Juveniles later found guilty are not convicted of committing crimes, but rather delinquencies. Enforced by the state, in most cases, juvenile justice focuses on lower the recidivism rate by rehabilitating offenders. Rehabilitation, rather than imposing punishment on juveniles eliminates the hardening of the juveniles. Confined juveniles often learn the ways of more violent juveniles that they would not learn if they were sentenced to rehabilitation instead. With newly acquired skills from other jailhouse inmates, juveniles are more likely to go on to commit more serious crimes. As for adults, the technique is often punishment and then rehabilitation due to the fact that society views children as more likely to change rather than adult…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In a juvenile case there is a major emphasis on privacy, as well as an evidentiary standard where the judge must weigh all the evidence. The juvenile has no right to a trial by jury. 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
  • Powerful Essays

    After analyzing dozens of proposed state amendments that have been a part of recent Florida elections, I began to notice patterns in the decisions and began studying the process. The amendment proposals I viewed had been passed, denied, and even overturned by the courts. First I viewed the debate and proposed 2014 amendment of medical marijuana in the Politics in Florida book (Ch. 2, Pg. 58). After, I viewed another 2014 amendment that was less debated upon, being the Water and Land Conservation (Ch. 9, Pg. 300). Lastly I took a slightly different approach in selecting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, as this issue was heavily involved in the court system. Instead of analyzing the amendments themselves my goal was…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The juvenile justice system process is rather new. The juvenile justice system really changed between 1966 and 1967; with kent vs United States and in re Gualt. Both added rights to the juvenile justice system that adults get. The evolution of the system sped up after those decisions. With eight very important Supreme Court decisions after 1967 till 2012. Each expanding the juvenile justice system.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before answering this debatable question, understanding the beginnings of the juvenile justice system should instill mind-provoking thoughts for this question. Not only should the beginnings be discussed, but the reasoning for the “transferring” of juveniles to the adult criminal system should be part of this thought process. The “pros” and “cons” for a juvenile being charged as an adult opens up events and effects which forces society to look at the struggles and issues that come with the juvenile transfer. The final point that needs to be considered is the impact for this decision on our youths in the criminal system. This question is not so easily answered.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The focus of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate juveniles, rather than to imprison and punish them. Many states, such as Massachusetts, have special courts set aside to try juveniles.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The primary difference between the juvenile court system and the adult court system is that the juvenile is viewed by the court with more civility and as an delinquent and on the other hand in adult court is it view with criminality. Moreover, the standard of proof when it comes to a juvenile he or she in the courts system is looked upon as with the preponderance of the evidence and in adult court the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt. However, both the adult and the juvenile has the right to remain silent and refrain from self-incrimination and also, they both have the right to confront their accusers and the right to counsel and/or an attorney.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Juveniles do not have the same constitutional rights as adults do. This means a juvenile's hearing is heard solely by a judge due to juveniles do not have the right to trial by jury. Juveniles are not able to bail or have a public trial. A lot of precautions are also given to Juveniles that would not be given to an adult in the justice system. All of the records are sealed so they will not be “haunted” by their offenses. Eligibility for record sealing includes: age, when the offense was committed, type of juvenile offense, and subsequent arrests or convictions. Some states will automatically seal the…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many differences between juvenile and criminal courts. First off there is no bail for juveniles. In juvenile court the child is not called the defendant he or she is called a minor. The documents list the charges against the child as a petition rather than a complaint. There are no trails for minors instead there are jurisdictional hearings or adjudications. There are no jurys. In these hearings it is common for a judge or bench officer to question parents or guardians about their child. Juvenile courts are closed to the public. There are a big difference between the two.…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics