Juvenile Crime
The American Juvenile justice system has undergone several historical stages to achieve what it is today. The concept of adults and juveniles having a separate legal framework is relatively new. Prior to 1900, juveniles who were accused of wrongdoing received severe punishments such as incarceration and even death for their crimes. According to Clear, Cole, and Reisig, when children broke the law, the same authorities who handled adult criminals processed them, ex-posing the children to adult punishments” (441). They would be imprisoned, many for non-criminal behavior, with hardened adult criminals and the mentally ill. During the Puritan Period juveniles were viewed as evil and families were blamed for not disciplining their …show more content…
The purpose behind it was to give abused, delinquent, and neglected juveniles who were on the track of delinquency an opportunity to learn good work and study habits. Reformers had good intentions when it came to these refuge houses, however, these houses ended up resembling adult prisons of the day. A new approach was needed to deal with these juveniles in trouble, and “the first juvenile court was established by a legislative act in Cook County (Chicago), Illinois, in 1899” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 442).
The new juvenile court would focus on parens patriae, meaning to take on the role of guardian (substitute parent) of the child. It was a system based on the “best interests” of juveniles and less on “guilt” or “innocence.” The court intended to divert juveniles from a life of crime by identifying the root of the problem and solving it as opposed to punishing them for the act. Problems began to arise from this type of approach and communities began “to distrust the effectiveness of juvenile court” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 444). In 1960 The Juvenile Rights Period began, it was merely a reaction to the ineffectiveness of the juvenile court. During this period, liberals united to protect the right of juveniles which resulted in the Supreme Court extending many of …show more content…
Most juveniles who break the law are committing minor offenses, there is only a small percentage committing violent crimes. Those juveniles who commit minor offenses should not be punished with harsh sentences because they could be altered more easily to deviate from a path of crime. “Less than one-fourth of youths who end up in custodial placements ae returned to incarceration because of new offenses” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 447). They are better off receiving community-based supervision and/or drug treatment programs if they need it rather than immediately resorting to locking them in jail. Law enforcement can work with families to better serve the needs of these kids with supervision programs in hopes of making them productive citizens of society. Juveniles are young and easily influenced by their peers, it just takes effort and cooperation to help them move away from these bad influences. There is hope for juveniles to lead a better life, in the end they are the future of our country. However, when juveniles commit violent offenses such as rape or murder, I think they should be sentenced harshly. According to Clear, Cole, and Reisig, “the younger the juvenile offender – and the more serious the misconduct – the more likely that offender will be arrested again” (446). In my opinion
The American Juvenile justice system has undergone several historical stages to achieve what it is today. The concept of adults and juveniles having a separate legal framework is relatively new. Prior to 1900, juveniles who were accused of wrongdoing received severe punishments such as incarceration and even death for their crimes. According to Clear, Cole, and Reisig, when children broke the law, the same authorities who handled adult criminals processed them, ex-posing the children to adult punishments” (441). They would be imprisoned, many for non-criminal behavior, with hardened adult criminals and the mentally ill. During the Puritan Period juveniles were viewed as evil and families were blamed for not disciplining their …show more content…
The purpose behind it was to give abused, delinquent, and neglected juveniles who were on the track of delinquency an opportunity to learn good work and study habits. Reformers had good intentions when it came to these refuge houses, however, these houses ended up resembling adult prisons of the day. A new approach was needed to deal with these juveniles in trouble, and “the first juvenile court was established by a legislative act in Cook County (Chicago), Illinois, in 1899” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 442).
The new juvenile court would focus on parens patriae, meaning to take on the role of guardian (substitute parent) of the child. It was a system based on the “best interests” of juveniles and less on “guilt” or “innocence.” The court intended to divert juveniles from a life of crime by identifying the root of the problem and solving it as opposed to punishing them for the act. Problems began to arise from this type of approach and communities began “to distrust the effectiveness of juvenile court” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 444). In 1960 The Juvenile Rights Period began, it was merely a reaction to the ineffectiveness of the juvenile court. During this period, liberals united to protect the right of juveniles which resulted in the Supreme Court extending many of …show more content…
Most juveniles who break the law are committing minor offenses, there is only a small percentage committing violent crimes. Those juveniles who commit minor offenses should not be punished with harsh sentences because they could be altered more easily to deviate from a path of crime. “Less than one-fourth of youths who end up in custodial placements ae returned to incarceration because of new offenses” (Clear, Cole, and Reisig 447). They are better off receiving community-based supervision and/or drug treatment programs if they need it rather than immediately resorting to locking them in jail. Law enforcement can work with families to better serve the needs of these kids with supervision programs in hopes of making them productive citizens of society. Juveniles are young and easily influenced by their peers, it just takes effort and cooperation to help them move away from these bad influences. There is hope for juveniles to lead a better life, in the end they are the future of our country. However, when juveniles commit violent offenses such as rape or murder, I think they should be sentenced harshly. According to Clear, Cole, and Reisig, “the younger the juvenile offender – and the more serious the misconduct – the more likely that offender will be arrested again” (446). In my opinion