Juvenile Court Essay

[History tells us that there has been juvenile court since the late 1800’s. In fact, Illinois established the first juvenile court in 1899. In that time the government identified the fact that children were developmentally different than adults, and therefore less capable of making decisions about their behavior. They also recognized that not all children had the parenting that helped to nurture them into adulthood. The states developed juvenile courts in order to help protect children and provide support not offered to adults. This system developed into the Juvenile justice system we have today. [In the beginning, the court for juveniles sought to reform adolescents. Identifying the differences between youth and adults allowed the system to move …show more content…
One of the legal precedents is Parens Patriae, this tradition maintains that the state has the responsibility to intercede in the life of a child when his or her family is not been able to do the job successfully (NCJRS, 2000). This gave the state the right to step in to place children into programs that benefited them. Another precedents is Parental Delinquency Laws, these laws specify that parents can be held liable for “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” (CNCJRS, 2000). In Kent v. United States (1966) The Supreme Court determined that Due Process could be available to juveniles. Similarly, In re Gault (1967) in an adjudicatory hearing that may result in the loss of liberty, juveniles were given the protection of the Bill of Rights (NCJRS, 2000). Furthermore, in the case of In re Gault, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Constitution requires that youth in the juvenile system have many of the same rights guaranteed to adults accused of crimes, and that they the same burden of proof, beyond a reasonable doubt shall be used. These precedents have shaped the system as it is