Reading1ThejuvenilejusticesystemintheUSJuvenilejusticeiscriminallawapplicabletopersons notoldenoughtobeheldresponsibleforcriminalacts.Usuallythe ageforcriminalculpabilityis18.Thegoalofthejuvenilejusticesystemis rehabilitation.Juveniles canbetransferredinto adultcourtifiuvenilecourtwaivesorrelinguishesjurisdiction.Thedoctrineofparenspatriae authorizesthestatetolegislatefortheprotection,care,custody,andmaintenanceofchildrenwithinits jurisdiction.Thefederal rolehasbeenthatoffunderandstandardsetter.CongresspassedtheJuvenileDelinquencyPreventionandControlActin1968
Reading 1 • The juvenile justice system in the US • Juvenile justice is criminal law applicable to persons not old enough to be held responsible for criminal acts. Usually the age for criminal culpability is 18. The goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation. Juveniles can be transferred into adult court if juvenile court waives or relinquishes jurisdiction. The doctrine of parens patriae authorizes the state to legislate for the protection, care, custody, and maintenance of children within its jurisdiction. The federal role has been that of funder and standard setter. Congress passed the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act in 1968
This wasrevised in 1972.and renamedtheJuvenileDelinquencyPreventionAct.The act aims to assist states and localcommunities inpreventative servicestoyouths in danger of becoming delinquent,andtrain individuals in occupationsproviding services andtechnicalassistance.The Federal JuvenileDelinguencyActdefinesjuveniledelinquency as any act that is otherwise acrime,committedbysomeoneunder18andsetsrulesstatelawsmustcomplywithinjuvenilecourtproceduresandpunishments
• This was revised in 1972, and renamed the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act. The act aims to assist states and local communities in preventative services to youths in danger of becoming delinquent, and train individuals in occupations providing services and technical assistance. The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act defines juvenile delinquency as any act that is otherwise a crime, committed by someone under 18, and sets rules state laws must comply with in juvenile court procedures and punishments
Juvenilecrimeand punishment intheUSOverthelasttwo decadesthepunitivenessofthejuvenilejusticesystemhasdeclined substantiallyrelative to the adult courts.During that sameperiod juvenile violent crime rates havegrownalmosttwiceasguicklyas adult crimeratesChangesinrelativepunishments canaccountfor60 percentof thedifferentialgrowthrates injuvenileandadultviolentcrimebetween1978 and1993.Juvenile offenders appeartobeat leastasresponsivecriminalsanctionsasadults.Moreover,sharp changesincriminalinvolvementwiththetransitionfromthejuvenile totheadultcourtsuggest that deterrence,rather than simplyincarceration,is animportantrole.Thereis nocloseconnectionbetweenthepunishmentreceived by a certain cohortfromthe juvenilejusticesystem andtheextent ofthe criminalinvolvementforthatcohortintheirlaterlife
Juvenile crime and punishment in the US • Over the last two decades the punitiveness of the juvenile justice system has declined substantially relative to the adult courts. During that same period juvenile violent crime rates have grown almost twice as quickly as adult crime rates. Changes in relative punishments can account for 60 percent of the differential growth rates in juvenile and adult violent crime between 1978 and 1993. Juvenile offenders appear to be at least as responsive criminal sanctions as adults. Moreover, sharp changes in criminal involvement with the transition from the juvenile to the adult court suggest that deterrence, rather than simply incarceration, is an important role. There is no close connection between the punishment received by a certain cohort from the juvenile justice system and the extent of the criminal involvement for that cohort in their later life