& # 8211 ; Is It Working Essay, Research Paper

The American juvenile justness system was designed over 100 old ages ago to reform childs found guilty of minor offenses, minor offenses such as junior-grade larceny and hooky. Today, the system is going overwhelmed by offenses of force. Stealing and jumping school have been replaced by colza, robbery, and slaying. The juvenile justness system was ne’er meant to cover with these jobs.

Juvenile delinquency describes the antisocial behaviour of many different types of young person who are in problem, or who are on the threshold of problem with the jurisprudence. In general footings juvenile delinquency means different things to different people. By jurisprudence, a juvenile delinquent is a minor under 17 who commits a condemnable act determined by jurisprudence and found guilty in tribunal. Juvenile tribunals, see a juvenile delinquent as a young person who goes against a province or local jurisprudence.

Childs are non merely born delinquents, they are merchandises of fortunes and opportunity, and civilization and environment. A young person named a delinquent by circumstance and opportunity is merely a young person who has been in the incorrect topographic point at the incorrect clip. Normally, the juvenile who commits a delinquent act by opportunity is a portion of a pack that takes portion in improper behavior temporarily. Most juveniles become delinquents because of the civilization and environment that surrounds them. Juveniles who are in an country of force and offense learn to travel against authorization and prosecute in offense because it is the acceptable thing to make.

The juvenile justness system originated about 1819, and on July 1, 1899 the first juvenile tribunal in the United States was set up in Cook County, Illinois. It represented a dramatic alteration in the manner the condemnable justness system and all of the American society viewed reprehensively involved young person. The new tribunal was founded on the rule of parens patriae, the thought that kids should non be treated as felons, but as wards of the province.

Parents patrae tried to demo that kids were non to the full responsible for their behavior and were able to be rehabilitated. Parens patraie tried to explicate the position that kids were to the full responsible for their behavior and were able to be rehabilitated. Parens patraie remains the base of the juvenile justness system in Massachusetts and across the state. Then, like now, juvenile tribunal was designed more to protect the kid that to penalize bad behaviour.

Most people feel that until late, the juvenile justness system served our state and our kids reasonably good. Get downing in the 1970 s, the nature of juvenile offense became different. Juvenile offense grew more common and more violent, and the system was non prepared.

The biggest job confronting jurisprudence enforcement today may be the very construction of the juvenile justness system. A system that neither punishes nor rehabilitates is useless. Examples of juvenile justness system failures are found everyplace throughout the United States.

In Rhode Island, Craig Price, age 15, intentionally killed a female parent and her two immature girls. Yet, this wasn t his first discourtesy, or slaying. Two old ages earlier he had murdered another adult female. He besides had a long record of assaults, burglaries, and other offenses.

In Chicago, two of the vicinity s toughest toughs lured a five twelvemonth old male child and his eight twelvemonth old brother up to an empty 14th floor flat. While up there one of the toughs decided to swing the helpless five twelvemonth old out the window by his pess. As the eight twelvemonth old tried to assist his younger brother, the bully dropped him, and he plunged 14 floors to his decease. The toughs, who were both ten old ages old, are non even traveling to juvenile prison. Journalist Richard Lacayo calls these childs marauder juveniles ( Lacayo 60 ) , because they steal the life of others.

Closer to place, the system is merely as corrupt. A 16 twelvemonth old male child from Somerville has been charged with killing his following door neighbour, his best friends & # 8217 ; female parent. Harmonizing to patrol the male child was infatuated about her, and before killing her, he beat her and so stabbed her 72 times.

Violent juvenile offense is increasing at twice the rate of violent offenses made by grownups. By the twelvemonth 2,005, the figure of adolescents between ages & # 8217 ; 14 and 17 will turn by 23 per centum. How can this epidemic of force among our immature people be controlled? First and foremost is instruction, in simple school, in in-between school, in

high school, and most of import, instruction at place. Learning the difference between right and incorrect Begins at birth. Early childhood is the most important clip for this acquisition to take topographic point. Parents must be held responsible for learning their kids what is right and what is incorrect. If parents refuse to demur their functions as instructors, so the authorities will be forced to step in. Education is most of import because its end is bar instead than rehabilitation.

First clip wrongdoers, in both grownup and juvenile systems are really seldom punished, unless they are charged with a really serious offense. Children must larn that they are accountable for their actions. We are incorrect when we do non learn them that their actions do hold important effects. A immature kid who runs across a busy metropolis street will most surely face immediate penalty at the custodies of his female parent. The same should travel for the juvenile offender the first clip he breaks the jurisprudence. After all, how will the wrongdoer learn that he or she will be accountable for their actions.

With about everyone holding that the juvenile justness system is a failure, some alternate penalties should be considered. In East Boston District Court, Judge Domenic Russo sets a rigorous curfew on all juvenile first clip wrongdoers. The curfew is determined by the age of the juvenile. It is one-half of their age, so a 16 twelvemonth old, such as myself would hold to be in at place at eight in the eventide.

Some Judgess and elected functionaries are now directing juvenile wrongdoers excessively military like boot cantonments. The boot cantonments are really similar to Marine Corps basic preparation, where there is rigorous subject. Boot cantonment can last for several months, at the terminal of which the juvenile either succeeds and graduates or fails and returns to the system.

Another new signifier of penalty is non new at all. Bodily penalty has been used for 1000s of old ages. Soon it is illegal in the United States. However, the recent event in Singapore, where a adolescent from the United States was caught spray-painting a auto and was sentenced to be caned ( whipped ) changed the manner many viewed the Torahs of the United States.

Had he been caught spray-painting autos in his hometown of Dayton, his offense would hold been regarded as platitude and his neighbours sentiment would non hold mattered ( Rush 3 ) .

Where Singapore is comparatively offense free, in the United States there is an epidemic of offense. To some people, bodily penalty should be brought back.

What about the most barbarous offense that society has to cover with, slaying? Remember Craig Price?

If Craig Price had been two and a half hebdomads older, and if he had murdered the Heaton Family in Oklahoma & # 8212 ; or in one of the several other provinces which authorize the infliction of Capital penalty of sixteen-year-olds & # 8211 ; he about surely would hold been sentenced to decease for his offenses ( Dershowitz 2 ) .

Should all juveniles convicted of slaying be put to decease? Probably non, but, surely those adolescents guilty of the most violent and barbarous violent deaths should at least be tried as grownups and sent to prison.

Everyone agrees that the juvenile justness system needs to be improved. The inquiry is how can this be accomplished. Is the present system in such bad form that we should abandon it all together, or should we maintain it and merely do little alterations to do a better system? I believe that the whole system in the United States should be changed wholly. We need new thoughts in order to deduce new solutions. However, everyone must go involved: childs, parents, politicians, and Judgess. All must make their portion if we are to salvage our future coevalss.

Work Cited

Lacayo Richard. SUPERPREDATORS ARRIVE. New York: Newsweek, 1996. 57.

Bernard, Thomas. The Cycle of Juvenile Justice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 1- 10, 56.

Dershowitz, Alan. The Abuse Excuse. New York: Time Warner Electronic Publishing, 1995. 1- 2

Eldefonso, Edward. Youth Problems and Law Enforcement. New Jesey: Prentice-Hall, INC. , 1972. 2-8, 45-50.

Hyde, Margaret. Juvenile Justice and Injustice. New York: Franklin Watts, 1977. 1-6, 22-30.

Reilly, Tom. Youth offense has changed- and so must the juvenile justness system. Boston: Boston Globe, 1996. 13

Rush, Richard. WHEN KIDS GO BAD. New York: Time Magazine, 1994. 26, 60.