16.3 Young 16.3 Young People and the People and the

CourtsCourtsCivics and EconomicsCivics and Economics

Cases of Juvenile Cases of Juvenile Delinquency Delinquency

Anyone under age 18 is Anyone under age 18 is considered a considered a juvenilejuvenile

Our legal system treats young Our legal system treats young people who commit crimes, called people who commit crimes, called juvenile delinquentsjuvenile delinquents differently from differently from adultsadults

Cases of Juvenile Cases of Juvenile Delinquency Delinquency

All states and the federal All states and the federal government allow older juveniles government allow older juveniles who are charged with very who are charged with very serious crimes or already have serious crimes or already have criminal recordscriminal records to be tried as to be tried as adults adults

On October 12, 2009 15 year old Michael Brewer was confronted by a group of boys who doused him with alcohol and set him on fire, burning him over two-thirds of his body. Three of the suspects Matthew Bent, Denver Jarvis, and Jesus Mendez are being tried as adults

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/michaelbrewer/

The Juvenile Justice The Juvenile Justice SystemSystem

When juveniles are charged with When juveniles are charged with violating the law, their cases are violating the law, their cases are handled in separate courts, handled in separate courts, called called juvenile courtjuvenile court

Their primary goal is to Their primary goal is to rehabilitate-rehabilitate- or correct a person or correct a person’’s s behavior, rather than punish the behavior, rather than punish the personperson

The Juvenile Justice The Juvenile Justice SystemSystem

Most juvenile Most juvenile court cases court cases begin when begin when police make an police make an arrest; others arrest; others result from result from petitionspetitions to the to the courts that have courts that have been filed been filed

Neglect and DelinquencyNeglect and Delinquency Juvenile courts handle two types of Juvenile courts handle two types of

cases: cases of cases: cases of neglectneglect involve involve juveniles whose caregivers neglect juveniles whose caregivers neglect or abuse themor abuse them

DelinquencyDelinquency cases involve juveniles cases involve juveniles who commit crimeswho commit crimes

Neglect and DelinquencyNeglect and Delinquency Juvenile courts also handle cases in Juvenile courts also handle cases in

which juveniles perform acts that which juveniles perform acts that are illegal for juveniles but not for are illegal for juveniles but not for adultsadults such as running away or such as running away or violating curfew violating curfew

Diversion or Detention?Diversion or Detention? Most Most police departmentspolice departments have officers have officers

who handle juvenile cases; they have who handle juvenile cases; they have authority to divert juveniles away from authority to divert juveniles away from court and into special programscourt and into special programs

The emphasis is on rehabilitation rather The emphasis is on rehabilitation rather than than punishmentpunishment; the juvenile system ; the juvenile system offers counseling, job-training and drug-offers counseling, job-training and drug-treatment programs to which young treatment programs to which young people can be diverted people can be diverted

http://www.ncdjjdp.org/department/about.html

The TrialThe Trial Juveniles are not entitled to a Juveniles are not entitled to a juryjury

trial; the judge alone makes the trial; the judge alone makes the determination as to whether the determination as to whether the juvenile is delinquent; cases are juvenile is delinquent; cases are closed to the publicclosed to the public

The juvenile court system keeps The juvenile court system keeps offendersoffenders’’ identities and criminal identities and criminal records secret; they are not records secret; they are not fingerprintedfingerprinted or photographed when or photographed when arrestedarrested

The TrialThe Trial If a juvenile is found delinquent, or If a juvenile is found delinquent, or

guiltyguilty, the court holds another , the court holds another hearing equivalent to sentencinghearing equivalent to sentencing

Juvenile court judges can sentence Juvenile court judges can sentence offenders in a number of ways: they can offenders in a number of ways: they can send them home with a stern lecture, or send them home with a stern lecture, or place offenders with a previous history in place offenders with a previous history in a special training school, reformatory, a special training school, reformatory, treatment center, or treatment center, or teen shelterteen shelter

The TrialThe Trial If a young person If a young person

successfully successfully completes completes probationprobation, , the charges will be the charges will be dropped and removed dropped and removed from the recordfrom the record

Juveniles who are Juveniles who are neglected may become neglected may become wards of the wards of the courtcourt; the ; the court becomes their court becomes their guardian and can guardian and can supervise them to supervise them to adulthood adulthood

Supreme Court RulesSupreme Court Rules The The Supreme CourtSupreme Court has established has established

several rules for juvenile criminal casesseveral rules for juvenile criminal cases Juveniles have the same or similar Juveniles have the same or similar

rights as adults accused of crimes: rights as adults accused of crimes: the right to the right to counselcounsel, the right to , the right to confront witnesses, and the right not confront witnesses, and the right not to be forced to incriminate themselvesto be forced to incriminate themselves

These rights were established by the These rights were established by the 1967 1967 In re Gault In re Gault Court case Court case