Juvenile Court

You have been asked to provide a presentation, covering the history of the juvenile court system in the United States. In your history, be sure to address the following issues:

10-12 slides

When was the first juvenile court established?

What was the child-saver movement during the 1800s? How did this social movement lead to the creation establishment of the juvenile justice system?

What is parens patriae, and how has this concept influenced juvenile courts in the United States?

Identify and describe 2 significant changes in the legal rights of juvenile offenders since the establishment of the juvenile justice system. 

3-4 paragraphs

Peter is a 14-year-old boy living in New York in the year 1870. Peter has stolen a horse and has been arrested by local law enforcement.

Discuss what life may have been like for Peter as a young person in the United States at this time.

• How were young people treated in everyday life?
• How were their criminal actions handled? 
• How would Peter's punishment be different as compared to an adult who was arrested for the same crime?