Adjudication In Juvenile Justice

Criminal procedure is the process of adjudication in law. Adjudication is the process by which a judge or jury reviews the evidence presented in a case to determine the verdict (Oleson, 2014). There are three types of variation when it comes to adjudication: heavy reliance on professional judges, mixed reliance, and heavy reliance on laypeople (Reichel, 2013). These variations basically summarize how the ultimate case decision is made. Under high reliance on professional judges, the judge is the ultimate decision maker of the case after hearing both sides argue their points. This type of adjudication normally occurs when the case is dealing with questions of the law. Under high reliance on laypeople, the jury is the ultimate decision maker of the case and judge is the one that decides the degree of punishment that …show more content…
As a result, juvenile justice has been reformed to reflect a fair judicial process. Ultimately, there is a continuum of juvenile justice models that are currently being practiced. Some countries emphasize the need to provide treatment to juvenile delinquents, while other countries emphasize the need to hold these juveniles accountable for their actions. In the United States, juvenile justice tends to fall towards the justice end of the continuum. Rehabilitation is not strictly ruled out, but it has been found that strict punishment is more effective in deterring juvenile delinquents. More often than not, juveniles are placed either placed on probation or in a juvenile detention facility (Oleson, 2014). In China, juvenile justice tends to fall within the justice model end of the continuum. For the most part, the Chinese feel that children and teenagers are rational individuals who should be held responsible for their actions. According to the Chinese Criminal Code, individuals who have reached sixteen years will be held completely accountable for their actions (Reichel,