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The juvenile justice

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The juvenile justice system is much different from the adults, or at least that was the original
intent. This paper is going to outline juvenile delinquency, discuss the strategies, the juvenile
process and the intervention programs we can use to stop juvenile delinquency in the future.
The Cook County Juvenile Court was established in 1899 on an informal basis. The parens
patriae doctrine, which permitted the court to take charge of children in need. Children were
not adults and should not be treated as such their problems could be discovered and treated;
therefore, the courts develop a different system.
This was not actual courtroom, it was a table and chairs where the judge could sit with the
parents and discuss the matter at hand. Children could be brought to the court based on
complaints. These hearings were not public and the records were kept confidential because the
children were not considered criminal. Lawyers were not required and the same rules that
applied in adult court were missing in juvenile court (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). This system
was so attractive that most states adopted the same system.
The criminal justice system is definitely a complex one and there is no exception when it comes
to juveniles. The juvenile justice system however is based on the philosophy that children need
to be protected and corrected, not necessarily punished. These are children not adults and
should be treated as such.
The criminal justice system for adults and juveniles differ in many ways. Juveniles have
different rights at the time of arrest and our afforded protections because of their age and
immaturity. One of the differences is that juveniles are not prosecuted for committing crimes,
but rather delinquent acts. The records for these delinquent acts are not criminal and the records
are generally sealed when the turn eighteen years old. Therefore, what you did as a minor will
not follow you for the rest of your life as it does when you are an adult.

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The juvenile courts movement was based on five philosophical principles. Children are worth
saving, and the first step would be to save the child. Children should be nurtured and while this
process is under way, they should be protected from the impact of formal adjuratory
procedures. In order to accomplish a goal of reformation each case needs to be processed
individually and the living conditions, etc should be know to the court. Non-criminal procedure
is necessary to give primary consideration to the needs of the child. The denial of due process
can be justified in the face of constitutional challenge because the court act is not to punish but
to help (Schmalleger, 2011).
The courts began to implement programs in order to deal with juveniles, while researchers
studied the causes of the behavior. One of the theories was the social disorganization theory
coined by Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay. Their theory views crimes as resulting from
the breakdown of social control by the traditional primary groups, such as the family and the
neighborhood (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). Therefore, juveniles are a product of their
environment. If the surrounding area is dysfunctional and economically deprived then the have
a higher probability of getting involved in crime.
The second theory of juvenile delinquency comes from Richard A. Cloward and Lloyd E.
Ohlin, their theory relates to the delinquency opportunity. It states that lower-class boys seek
out illegitimate means to attain middle-class success goals if they are unable to attain them
through legitimate means (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). Therefore, television has created a lot of
resentment for the lower-class children. They see money and cars as respect and because they
cannot afford them on their own, and their parents certainly cannot they look for other ways in
obtaining the money, such as becoming drug runners, stealing and prostitution.
Another important theory is the social control theory according to Travis Hirschi, in which he
linked delinquent behavior to the bond an individual has with conventional social groups, such

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The juvenile justice system is much different from the adults, or at least that was the original intent. This paper is going to outline juvenile delinquency, discuss the strategies, the juvenile process and the intervention programs we can use to stop juvenile delinquency in the future. The Cook County Juvenile Court was established in 1899 on an informal basis. The parens patriae doctrine, which permitted the court to take charge of children in need. Children were not adults and should not be treated as such their problems could be discovered and treated; therefore, the courts develop a different system. This was not actual courtroom, it was a table and chairs where the judge could sit with the parents and discuss the matter at hand. Children could be brought to the court based on complaints. These hearings were not public and the records were kept confidential because the children were not considered criminal. Lawyers were not required and the same rules that applied in adult court were missing in juvenile court (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). This system was so attractive that most states adopted the same system. The criminal justice system is definitely a complex one and there is no exception when it comes to juveniles. The juvenile justice system however is based on the philosophy that children need to be protected and corrected, not necessarily punished. These are children not adults and should be treated as such. The criminal justice system for adults and juveniles diff ...
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