Thankfully in our country the justice system and its processes for juveniles does often differ than that of adults. Every year there are almost 1.7 million teens that go through the justice system (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). There are certain differences between what they experience in the justice system and that of their older counterparts.
A difference in the systems for you and adult is that for the youth there is an absence of legal guilt and an attempt at a non-confrontational approach, in a private environment (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Teens are at a stage in development where they would benefit from a non-aggressive interaction with adults and a public trial where their bad behavior is the spectacle …show more content…
The next key difference between the two types of system is that the youth system attempts to treat the child rather than just punish (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Teens are at the beginning of their lives and with the right approach and guidance could very well see the error of their ways and change their behavior for the good. In juvenile justice the youths background, previous behavior, and mental state are considered (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Finally, the courts are quick, flexible, and punishments are not as long as those in the adult justice system (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). To sentence a teen to a long sentence isn’t going to teach him the error of his ways, not drawing out the process, but instead quickly deciding what to do and doing it might be better. There are other aspects to the justice system that are specifically designed to suit the youth. For instance, diversion is when instead of official processing the teen …show more content…
Some systems use what is called a restorative justice program. In this type of treatment program, the main idea is using the community to help the teen see the problem with his behavior and then working together in the teens rehabilitation. There are several main ideas to the restorative justice programs. First is the idea that the crime that the teen committed is against someone (Restorative Justice, 2007). If the teen can see that he hurt someone, maybe putting a face to the crime he might be better able to hold himself accountable for his actions. The next vital piece to the restorative justice program is community involvement (Restorative Justice, 2007). The teen needs to get involved with community groups to learn how to behave better. Maybe getting involved with an organization that cleans parks might help a teen see that vandalism is a terrible thing. If the youth had committed a crime like vandalism, this would be the perfect way for him to take responsibility for what he had done. Another important aspect of the program is respect of both the youth who committed the crime, the victim, as well as the community members helping the offender through the rehabilitation process (Restorative Justice, 2007). I think that respect is the biggest thing for teen interaction rather it is when dealing with them in the justice system or any other environment.
A difference in the systems for you and adult is that for the youth there is an absence of legal guilt and an attempt at a non-confrontational approach, in a private environment (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Teens are at a stage in development where they would benefit from a non-aggressive interaction with adults and a public trial where their bad behavior is the spectacle …show more content…
The next key difference between the two types of system is that the youth system attempts to treat the child rather than just punish (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Teens are at the beginning of their lives and with the right approach and guidance could very well see the error of their ways and change their behavior for the good. In juvenile justice the youths background, previous behavior, and mental state are considered (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). Finally, the courts are quick, flexible, and punishments are not as long as those in the adult justice system (Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & Delisi, M., 2014). To sentence a teen to a long sentence isn’t going to teach him the error of his ways, not drawing out the process, but instead quickly deciding what to do and doing it might be better. There are other aspects to the justice system that are specifically designed to suit the youth. For instance, diversion is when instead of official processing the teen …show more content…
Some systems use what is called a restorative justice program. In this type of treatment program, the main idea is using the community to help the teen see the problem with his behavior and then working together in the teens rehabilitation. There are several main ideas to the restorative justice programs. First is the idea that the crime that the teen committed is against someone (Restorative Justice, 2007). If the teen can see that he hurt someone, maybe putting a face to the crime he might be better able to hold himself accountable for his actions. The next vital piece to the restorative justice program is community involvement (Restorative Justice, 2007). The teen needs to get involved with community groups to learn how to behave better. Maybe getting involved with an organization that cleans parks might help a teen see that vandalism is a terrible thing. If the youth had committed a crime like vandalism, this would be the perfect way for him to take responsibility for what he had done. Another important aspect of the program is respect of both the youth who committed the crime, the victim, as well as the community members helping the offender through the rehabilitation process (Restorative Justice, 2007). I think that respect is the biggest thing for teen interaction rather it is when dealing with them in the justice system or any other environment.