1.Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis

Running head : A COMPARISON BETWEEN ADULT AND JUVENILE COURTS

A Comparative Analysis of Juvenile and Adult Courts

[Name of the Student]

[Name of the University] A Comparative Analysis of Juvenile and Adult Courts

Juvenile courts initiate legal action against children under the age of eighteen years who commit acts that are in breach of the law . In the US the juvenile court was started in the year 1899 . Its objective was to act as a caring parent that helps a child with problems . Since its inception the juvenile court failed to

address the problems of children and their needs . The first sixty years of the juvenile court 's activities were mainly informal and this resulted in its criticism and a public outcry . In the year 1967 , some reform took place in the court 's proceedings , which resulted in the complete transformation of the juvenile court proceedings . Due to these changes the juvenile court started to resemble a criminal court (Streib , 2005

The jurisdiction of a juvenile court covers a wide range of activities of children and the actions of adults with respect to their children Crimes involving traffic offences and homicide due not fall under the purview of a juvenile court . These courts deal with delinquency cases involving minors who had violated the criminal law . Proceedings of juvenile delinquency require two conditions to be satisfied . The first of these is that it is mandatory that the child had committed a criminal act and the second condition is that the child should be accorded corrective treatment . Juvenile courts also deal with status offense cases where the child had been involved in noncriminal misconduct . These status offense cases include truancy and offenses committed by children who lack proper parental care (Streib , 2005

Generally the police authorities present the offender in the juvenile court . Sometimes , the juvenile problem could be referred to the court by school officials , parents or guardians . The intake officer of the court examines the complete case and then comes to a conclusion in to resolve the case without initiating any action , referring the child to a counseling institution or initiating prosecution in the juvenile court The court in its prosecution will decide whether or not to impose detention of the child after duly assessing the charges leveled against the child (Streib , 2005

The fundamental principle of the juvenile court system is that children below the age of eighteen years differ from adults from a developmental perspective . Their psychology is easily influenced and their behavior is adaptable . Juvenile offenders need rehabilitation and corrective treatment . Moreover , they need societal protection . These are the basic and practical goals of the juvenile court system . In the criminal justice system , rehabilitation is not a means of punishment . The criminal justice system operates with the primary intention that the offender must be provided with criminal sanctions and punishments which are proportional to the offense committed by them . Imprisonment as a means of punishment is the natural outcome of the criminal justice system (Juvenile Justice...