Juvenile Offender Assignment

Juvenile Justice System Development Comment by Jamie Price: Good job with using headings. But your first paragraph should be an introduction. Introduce the main points that will be covered. Let the reader know where the paper is going. Refer to my help documents associated with this assignment for assistance with creating a good academic introduction.

In the United States, the adolescent court framework was established more than ten years before the main court establishment in 1899 in Illinois. Before its formation, all youngsters were considered as adults or grownup where they were punished in similar ways as adults. Prior to the creation of juvenile courts, the common law's infancy defense provided the only special protections for young offenders charged with crimes. The common law conclusively presumed that children younger than seven years of age lacked criminal capacity, while those fourteen years of age and older possessed full criminal responsibility. Comment by Jamie Price: This is good information but you need to cite your work. If the information isn’t common knowledge, you need to cite it using in-text citations. Some basic formats are: Blah blah blah (Last name, year). According to Last name (year), blah blah blah. Last name (year) reported that “blah blah blah” (p. #). “Blah blah blah” (Last name, year, p. #).

The history of the juvenile justice system dates as far back as to the bible to Roman Era time. In this period, it was the parent’s responsibility to punish their children, unless the child is in need of a more severe consequences. In the middle ages, common law was established in England. The use of shires, reeves, and chancellors were used. When being punished, the English used the same punishments on children over the age of seven as an adult. In eighteenth-century London, jails were created based upon workhouses. On July 1899, United States established the first juvenile justice system located in Illinois. The Illinois legislature passed the Illinois Juvenile Act that would disciple accordingly to children under the age of sixteen. The juvenile courts were to take jurisdiction over the children (Champion, Merlo, & Benekos, 2013). Comment by Jamie Price: Try to remove unnecessary words. “is in need of a” = needs Comment by Jamie Price: Good job citing your work.

Predominant Philosophy of the Juvenile System

Alterations in the social origination ideology of youngsters and the system of cultural control in the nineteenth-century y led to the establishment of the very first juvenile court in 1899. To differentiate between the young and adult offenders, progressive philosophers made efforts to reform the juvenile court system. They developed new thoughts regarding adolescence and made the court system social welfare which was established to deal with both criminal and non-criminal offense of the young offenders. The United States Supreme Court changed the juvenile court into an organization rather than the progressives examination (Caldwell, 2014). Comment by Jamie Price: If the entire paragraph comes from the same source, let the reader know up front. Keep the reader informed. I like to acknowledge the source in the first sentence and then cite again at the end. And depending on the information, I may cite some in the middle (if needed).

The juvenile justice system was to focus on the child or adolescent as a person in need of assistance, not on the act that brought him or her before the court. The proceedings were informal, with much discretion left to the juvenile court judge. Because the judge was to act in the best interests of the child, procedural safeguards available to adults, such as the right to an attorney, the right to know the charges brought against one, the right to trial by jury, and the right to confront one's accuser, were thought unnecessary. Juvenile court proceedings were closed to the public and juvenile records were to remain confidential so as not to interfere with the child's or adolescent's ability to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. The very language used in juvenile court underscored these differences. Juveniles are not charged with crimes, but rather with delinquencies; they are not found guilty, but rather are adjudicated delinquent; they are not sent to prison, but to training school or reformatory.

Key Differences between the Juvenile and Adult Systems

Based on the classification, in many states, an individual accused of an offense between the age of ten and eighteen is considered as an adolescent. On the other hand, an adult is a person above the age of eighteen. However, some states extend to the furthest age of sixteen or seventeen as an adolescent court. Comment by Jamie Price: Yes, different states have different age limits

In court proceedings, an adult is usually accused of wrongdoing while an adolescent is charged with reprobate demonstration. It thus suggests that the adolescent infraction is allowed to have conferred is not genuinely too much. Adolescents are not tried on full trial by a judge, but the judge chooses their issues.

Based on objectives, an adult is said to be liable for a particular wrongdoing and thus the court concentrate on punishing. It endeavors to make an individual who is accused of a crime not to perform comparative wrongdoing in the future. On the other hand, the adolescent court system concentrates on rehabilitation of the young offender. In such n instance, the court regularly uses parole and probation plus diversionary project.

The Differences between Dependency and Delinquency

Dependency comes in when many youngsters having cases in court attend the court’s proceedings due to lack of sufficient care from their parents and guardians. In such a case the judge is required to make an essential and intense decision to illustrate the ways forward towards helping the offender by either taking the individual away from the conditions that may be considered dangerous (Brenner and Whitmeyer, 2011). Comment by Jamie Price: Always use “&” inside the parentheses and “and” in the narrative.

A juvenile delinquent focuses on cases of young children who have performed a typical crime between the ages of 10 to 18. Though the minor does not go through the full trial of a high standard, they experience an arbitration system where they are sentenced. The case starts at the time the prosecutor documents a request to sentence a juvenile to law violations.

The Reasoning Behind and the Importance of Confidentiality in Juvenile Court

Juvenile cases are incredibly personal and sensitive since the adolescent criminal proceedings manage individual matters that are profoundly touching. The hearings commonly include neglect, debate care, youngster personal support and testimonials from social employees. Most of the young offenders are usually open and willing to affirm their emotions and encounters about their family’s dynamics. Due to these issues, all the hearings are kept confidential to prevent various people from having information that might uncover some of the sensitive issues (Tamilia, 2009).

All the cases should be well guarded since they involve private and delicate family matters. The confidential hearings are essential to keep away the offenders from proclaiming sexual attack, mishandle occasions and any declarations of harming acts. When these records are sealed, it allows the offender to concede to the accusations (Caldwell, 2014). Also, the privacy of the family records makes the family, and the child feels the court’s safety. Comment by Jamie Price: You provided some good information. But you need a conclusion. Use the conclusion to summarize some of the main points that were covered. Select a few specific points from the body of the paper.

References Comment by Jamie Price: Good job with the reference page!

Brenner, S., & Whitmeyer, J. M. (2011). Decision Making on the United States Supreme Court. Strategy on the United States Supreme Court, 167-172.

Caldwell, M. F. (2014). Juvenile Sexual Offenders. Choosing the Future for American Juvenile Justice, 55-93.