Juvenile Offenders

The Demonization of Juvenile Offenders is a Failure of the JJS

The juvenile courts are the legally recognized justice systems for the youth of our nation . It is the legal system that is designed to serve and protect them from the harsh realities of adult crimes done by the youth who do not have any real understanding of their actions and its consequences . But , this is not what is happening these days . The juvenile justice system is instead becoming an outmoded form of justice that has little to do with actually protecting the

juvenile and more to do with pre-branding the young individual based upon his race or way of life

According to Loyola Law School professor Linda S . Beres "Demonizing youth while framing crime control as a "war " encourages a climate of police brutality and draconian anticrime measures . One such measure is the proposal to turn over to prosecutors the decision whether to try fourteen-year-olds as adults " I find this to be a highly disturbing comment . How can a fourteen-year-old be tried as an adult when there are conclusive scientific studies that prove that a person under the age of eighteen does not have the mental capacity to make rational decisions Therefore , trying an individual below that age as an adult would be unfair on the part of the juvenile

Indeed , the juvenile delinquents of today have been demonized by the legal system . But , take into consideration that the law-makers and enforcers seem to be the very people who create these scenarios for the young people to fall into . Proof of this demonization can be found further in Ms . Beres ' interview where she is quoted as saying that "Youth in general , and young minority males in particular , often are demonized by legislators , the media , scholars , and the public at large These attacks reinforce stereotypes and place a particularly heavy burden on young Black and Latino males . Negative images of youth also may inhibit the adoption of the most effective programs to reduce crime especially in disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods

You can find proof of this demonization of the juveniles everywhere Television portrays certain racial groups , usually the Latinos and the blacks as gang bangers and drug pushers or users . Video games portray hip hoppers as gun toting , drive by shooting , slang speaking criminals who are invincible to all . All of these images predispose the law enforcers towards viewing these races are violent and criminal regardless of age . They base it upon the dress , speech , and number of people in a group instead

The truth is that these young individuals are all at a crossroads in their lives and look to other adults as their examples . How we treat them and portray their roles in society will always define the final outcome of what they become as adult individuals . During these formative years , the law enforcers and justice system must learn to differentiate between the habitual criminals and those who have just lost their way and are trying to get back...