3 full page essay and 125 summary at the end after refernce page

Waller’s Debate 17: Juvenile Justice

Devin Johnston

CRJU495:08

October 28,2019

Introduction to Debate

This week in debate 17 the topic juvenile justice was discussed. The topic of juvenile justice systems is essential to American society because the country has a massive population of youths. The youths have the potential to influence the direction the future of the country will take. It becomes essential to emphasize the role of the juvenile systems in guiding the youths even when they are involved in crime. The American Criminal Justice System is directly influenced by the youth delinquency, engagement in crimes, and other aspects of criminal activities.

Jeffrey A. Butts has shown a strong support for implementing changes in the juvenile systems by citing the recent changes where the current system tends to punish rather than rehabilitate (Butts,2009). Similarly, Hon. Arthur L. Burnett is advocating for creation of strategies that will utilize the juvenile system more even as there is a need to change the current form of the juvenile system (Burnett,2009).

For Juvenile Justice

(Leve et al., 2015) highlights the changes that have occurred in the juvenile systems, especially concerning the girls. The most significant change that has occurred is the shifting of the juvenile systems from rehabilitation to being punitive and more of punishment. The youth are subjected to blame and punishment rather than being helped to reform due to the judgment being made on accounts of extremely violent youth reports. The author further highlights the different approaches that are applied in juvenile systems. On one side, some believe that imposing harsh and brutal punishments on the juveniles will prevent them from engaging in criminal activities, while another section assumes that the rights of the accused minors are inadequately protected in the juvenile systems. According to the opinion regarding the protection of rights, they feel the need to transfer juveniles to adult facilities while some are as young as 14 and 15 years. The author advocates for changes in the management of juvenile systems.

For Juvenile Justice

(Zajac et al., 2015) pushes for the view that the juvenile systems should be abolished, but there should be measures to see the process through the main challenges. The author suggests that abolishing the juvenile systems should go hand in hand with removing the court's delinquency jurisdiction and sending all young offenders to the standard criminal courts. The author argues that abolishing delinquency is different and should not be treated as a suggestion to eliminating the entire juvenile court system. Even with the changes suggested in the juvenile system, the courts would remain relevant in handling other cases such as abuse cases regarding children, neglected children, truancy, and curfew violations. The argument in this journal is that the juvenile courts would continue operating as divisions of the criminal court system for the youth, under the criminal code.

Against Juvenile Justice

(Korchmaros et al., 2017), looks into the recent developments that show that 90 percent of the States have already toughened their laws regarding the laws applied in the rehabilitation of juveniles. The minimum age for joining the adult facilities is not set in some states. The author argues that the government should strive to provide the necessary resources to the juvenile systems such that the critical activities like revitalizing the courts. The author further asserts there is a need to empower the juvenile systems in performing the primary roles that juveniles which include rehabilitation. The author has the opinion that juvenile judges would have to be more creative in making the best use of the resources allocated to them by legislators and policymakers to ensure the primary objectives are met. The role of the juvenile systems should be to deal with criminal activities among youths using the right resources to prevent recidivism.

Against Juvenile Justice

(Robst, 2017), "Disposition of charges, out-of-home mental health treatment, and juvenile justice recidivism" argues that the juvenile system requires better integration with the existing methods of rehabilitation. The argument is against complete removal or change in the juvenile system because the article advocates for better integration of the youths from the facilities into the society. The cases of mental health treatment that do not yield the desired results often lead to continued criminal activities by the youths. However, these problems would be solved if the juvenile systems remain as they are, but with a few improvements on how the rehabilitation is carried forward in society.

Conclusion

I think the juvenile system in America requires significant changes in the way it is being operated. There should be plans to create an enabling environment for the youths to reform through rehabilitative measures. The teenagers are an essential part of the American population, and their behavior can have implications on the society that will not be reversible. My suggestion would be to have a juvenile justice system that is operated on regulations that are independent of the Court Systems such that the feedback is given, and suggestions for improvement are well-considered and implemented. The granting of independence to the juvenile system would ensure that the juvenile judges exercise flexibility that is needed in dealing with youths who come from different backgrounds and their families are different. There should also be a provision that allows the judges to summon the parents and other family members when a youth is convicted of a crime.

References

Burnett, A. L. (2009). The juvenile justice system must be improved and preserved. In B. N. Waller (Ed.) You decide! Current debates in criminal justice (1st ed., pp. 319-343). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Butts, J. A. (2009). The distinct juvenile justice system should be eliminated. In B. N. Waller (Ed.) You decide! Current debates in criminal justice (1st ed., pp. 319-343). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Korchmaros, J. D., Thompson-Dyck, K., & Haring, R. C. (2017). Professionals' perceptions of and recommendations for matching juvenile drug court clients to services. Children and Youth Services Review, 73, 149-164.

Leve, L. D., Chamberlain, P., & Kim, H. K. (2015). Risks, outcomes, and evidence-based interventions for girls in the US juvenile justice system. Clinical child and family psychology review, 18(3), 252-279.

Robst, J. (2017). Disposition of charges, out-of-home mental health treatment, and juvenile justice recidivism. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 61(11), 1195-1209.

Zajac, K., Sheidow, A. J., & Davis, M. (2015). Juvenile justice, mental health, and the transition to adulthood: A review of service system involvement and unmet needs in the US. Children and youth services review, 56, 139-148.