Discussion Question 4

Learning Resources

Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week's assignments.

Readings

• Course Text: Juvenile Delinquency
• • Chapter 12, "Juvenile Justice Process"
  • • "Diversion from the Juvenile Justice System"
    • "The Juvenile Justice System Today"
  • Chapter 13, "Police and the Juvenile"
    
    
    • "Introduction"
    • "Juveniles' Attitudes Toward the Police"
    • "Processing of Juvenile Offenders"
    • "The Legal Rights of Juveniles"
      
      
  • Chapter 14, "Juvenile Court"
  • Chapter 15, "Community Based Corrections"
  • Chapter 16, "Juvenile Institutions"
    

Website

• Website: National Center for Juvenile Justice. State Juvenile Justice Profiles.
  This Web site contains information on individual state's juvenile justice systems, including criteria for trying and sentencing juveniles as adults.
  http://www.ncjj.org/Publication/Guide-to-the-State-Juvenile-Justice-Profiles.aspx

Media

• Interactive Module: "Difference between Adult and Juvenile Justice System," Copyright (2008) by Pearson Learning Solutions. Used with the permission of Pearson Education. Boston, MA.
  http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_94735_laureate/adult_vs_juv/index.html
  
  
• Interactive Module: "Transfer to Adult Court," Copyright (2008) by Pearson Learning Solutions. Used with the permission of Pearson Education. Boston, MA.
  http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls/pls_mycoursetools/fufillment/mct_94735_laureate/trans_adult_court/index.html
  
  

Optional Resources

• Article: Weekly Reader Corporation. (2003). The case of Gerry Gault. Current Events (Teacher's Edition), 103 (1), 3.
  Use the Education Research Complete database, and search using the article's title.
  
  
• Online Audio: NPR. (2007). Crisis-prone Texas juvenile facilities look to reform [Audio file]. Audio retrieved July 29, 2009, from http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=15822844&m=15817012
  
  
• Online Audio: NPR. (2007). Missouri sees teen offenders as kids, not inmates [Audio file]. Audio retrieved July 29, 2009, from http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=15784264&m=15785013
  
  
• Online Presentation: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report. Graphs from Chapter 6: Juvenile Offenders in Court.
  http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/nr2006/downloads/NR2006.pdf
  This presentation quantifies the flow of cases through the juvenile court system.
  
  
• Website: The Annie E. Casey Foundation. Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). http://www.aecf.org/MajorInitiatives/JuvenileDetentionAlternativesInitiative.aspx
  This is the official Web site of JDAI, which focuses on the detention component of the juvenile justice system.
  
  
• Website: FRONTLINE. Juvenile Justice: Adult Time for Adult Crimes? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/bench/adulttime.html
  This Web page contains interviews with experts who discuss whether or not kids belong in adult court for adjudication.
  
  
• Website: Police Athletic League NYC.
  http://www.palnyc.org/800-PAL-4KIDS/Home.aspx
  The Police Athletic League (PAL) is New York City's largest nonprofit, independent youth organization. This Web site provides information on recreational, educational, cultural, and social programs that PAL provides to the children of New York City.

Transferring Juveniles to Adult Court

The public demands that some juveniles who commit serious felonies, such as homicide, be transferred to adult courts, treated as adults, and subject to severe punishment. However, the transfer of juveniles to adult courts is not solely based on the seriousness of the crime. There also are a number of other factors, such as the juvenile's age and maturity, which come into play. As you review the Learning Resources this week, you explore how these and other factors inform the transfer of juveniles to adult courts. As you do so, consider the following questions: When does a child become an adult? At what age do children become responsible for their transgressions? Which crimes reach such a level of seriousness that society demands adult punishment?

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Interactive Module, "Difference between Adult and Juvenile Justice System." Pay attention to the differences between the adult criminal justice system and the juvenile justice system.

• Review Chapter 14 of the course text, Juvenile Delinquency, and focus on the transfer of juvenile offenders to adult courts.

• Review the Interactive Module, "Transfer to Adult Court" and consider the three ways in which a juvenile might be transferred to adult court.

• Select a historical or contemporary case in which a juvenile offender was transferred to adult court.

• Using the National Center for Juvenile Justice Web site, research the criteria for transferring a juvenile offender to adult court in the state where the crime was committed.

• Review your selected case and think about whether you agree with the decision to transfer the juvenile to adult court.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief description of the historical or contemporary case you selected. Then briefly describe the criteria for adjudicating a juvenile as an adult in the state where the crime was committed. Explain whether you agree with the decision and why. Be sure to note whether state criteria were correctly applied in the case.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.